Cold air and a strong breeze was not enough to cool the heat in the

hearts and minds of WSU Students on Thursday. For two hours, over 250 students gathered at the free speech zone to rally and inform one another about the increases in

tuition and the to send a message to Olympia.

The plight made by the students did not go unheard. Reporters from the Columbian, KOIN 6 and other news groups attended to witness the rally, one rarely seen on a commuter campus. Speakers ranged from students personal stories, to displayed support from Mayor Tim Leavitt.

“If we come with a united voice expressing our concerns about the accessibility and affordability of

education in south west Washington the message is received more loudly and with more impact, and as mayor, helping deliver that message for the students of wsu-v and for higher education, I think the mayor’s offi ce helps lends more credibility and some force behind it, and I am happy to do that.” Says Mayor Leavitt. He also mentions that in his future trips to Olympia, while the meetings will not be focused primarily on tuition, the issues will part of the discussion.

When asked, President Ferderer

explained the main purpose of the rally. “Three main points of this rally are one to show people we are aware of what’s going on, two, we’re not just showing up, were calling legislators, signing petitions, and sharing our stories, and fi nally, we’re recruiting new people, there is so many new faces out here that I’ve never seen before on this campus before, and especially those getting involved.”

See RALLY on page 3

STUDENTS OUTRAGED BY POSSIBLE FINANCIAL AID CUTS AND RISING TUITION

The

Washington State University Vancouver

Students take a stand against

tuition increases and cuts to aid

PAGE 2

February 8, 2010 • Issue 11 • Volume 15 | WWW.VANCOUGAR.NING.COM >> Visit our web site for online newspapers, videos, pictures, and more!

KOUG Radio page 5 • Five Guys Burgers and Fries Review page 6 • Valentine’s Day tips page 12

Hundreds at walk-out rallyJake Kleinschmidt/The VanCougar

The state-wide rally, organized by the Washington Students’ Association, allowed students the chance to speak up and be heard about tuition increases and possible fi nancial aid cuts. Over 250 WSU Vanouver students, faculty, and staff took part in the walk-out.

Jake Kleinschmidt/Managing Editor

INTERESTING NUMBERS

•$52,083.34 The amount President Elson Floyd made in 2009 each month. Annual salary in 2009 was over $625,000

•$3,800 Spring ‘10 tuition for full-time undergraduate student per semester

•$4,228 Spring ‘10 tuition for full-time graduate student per semester

•$8.55/hr Washington State minimum wage

•$17,784 Annual income with a full-time, minimum wage job

•$550-$750 Average monthly rent for an apartment in Vancouver

•$600 Typical cost of books each semester

•5 classes Average amount taken by undergraduate students at WSUV

•12 1/2 hours of classes a week for the average undergraduate student

•30 to 45 hours of homework and reading to accompany those 15 credits each week

•16 hours left in a day after sleeping 8 hours.

•4 1/2 - 7 1/2 hours left in a day after class and homework

•$11,115 Typical annual income with a part-time, minimum wage job

•75% Of WSUV students receive � nancial aid to attend school

In case you missed it:

•$52,083.34 The amount President Elson Floyd made in 2009 each month. That is over $325/hr.

Mayor Leavitt among attendees

For more sources of numbers, visit us online at vancougar.

ning.com

2 CAMPUS NEWS

2/9 Strong Interest Inventory for those with undecided majors @ 4 p.m. in VFSC 104. Open and free to students and alumni

Recently, Washington State University’s Board of Regents met on campus

in the Firstenburg Student Commons. The Regents’ meeting focused on dealing with the budget issues that are plaguing the Washington State Legislature.

The Board of Regents is the governing body of Washington State University and, by extension, the branch campuses. The Regents have the authority to set tuition rates, appoint the President of the University, and oversee several other aspects of WSU. Members of the Board of Regents are selected and accountable to the Governor of Washington. Most of the members of the Board of Regents are respected members of the community that have experience in business administration. However, one position on the Board of Regents is reserved specifically for students. The student regent position is currently held by Kasey Webster, a graduate student at the Pullman campus.

The Board of Regents met at the Vancouver campus to conduct their meeting. After a report from the Chair of the board and President Elson S. Floyd, the Board of Regents listened to updates from several University groups. ASWSU President Derek En’Wezoh informed the Board of student activities going on at the Pullman campus, including the fact that ASWSU was not encouraging

students to participate in the statewide campus walk out to protest the raising rates of tuition. After En’Wezoh’s report, President Floyd thanked him for all of his work and cooperation with the administration.

The other updates also commented on the budget cuts that WSU is facing and what those budget cuts will look like for university staff, faculty, students and programs. A representative from the faculty senate, Mike Swan, mentioned that budget issues ruled the concerns of members of the faculty.

Following the updates from all of the University groups, the Board invited Chancellor Hal Dengerink to share an update about WSUV. Chancellor Dengerink prefaced the update by reviewing the proposed governor’s budget.

The proposed governor’s budget, as it currently stands, suggests several cuts to State public schools. The state is facing an almost $30 million deficit, meaning that budget cuts are eminent for many state funded programs, especially higher education. Higher education institutions are going to have to absorb the cuts and find ways to cover the gap between spending and funding.

However, for WSUV, “…budget cuts are a matter of lost opportunity,” explained Chancellor Dengerink. With plans for expanding programs and building space, the Vancouver campus has been saving up funds. Having a large amount in savings has allowed WSUV to absorb many of the budget cuts that are facing the Vancouver campus.

The lost opportunities that Chancellor Dengerink referred to are many of the programs that students have been waiting to see

implemented at WSUV—programs that could work to increase future enrollments. The University has had to sacrifice implementing the first Doctoral program at WSUV. The University had been ready to start a Doctoral program in nursing, but it now looks like that program will be postponed. Additionally, the Masters Degree in the popular Digital Arts and Technology program, as well as a Bachelors Degree in neuroscience, has been taken off the table at this time.

These postponements will be faced, despite the growing number of students attending WSUV. Chancellor Dengerink opened the floor to Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, Nancy Youlden, who explained recent happenings in student activities at WSUV. Vice Chancellor Youlden

described some interesting trends of student demographics at WSUV. She mentioned a growing amount of diversity in the student body enrollments. Minority student enrollment constituted about 15 percent of the incoming students for Spring semester. This Spring’s enrollment has shown an increasing number of male students enrolling at WSUV, making the student body more representative of the surrounding community. Before finishing her report, Vice Chancellor Youlden stressed to the Board that their research has shown that students are sensitive to the upcoming changes to tuition and financial aid.

Finally, ASWUV President Nick Ferderer spoke on behalf of the students of WSUV to the Board. President Ferderer focused his report

around his administration’s goals of building: building communication, building leadership, and building sustainability. Ferderer talked about how his administration has tried to increase communication to the student body by using avenues like The VanCougar and KOUG radio. Ferderer also talked about the new student government position, Director of Leadership Development, which was implemented this year.

The Leadership Development Director is supposed to plan programs that will give students the opportunity to develop leadership skills. This year, the Leadership Development Director has hosted a speaker and a goal setting workshop, and is planning to put on more events throughout the semester.

Budget concerns for the WSU Board of Regents

Sally Thrall/Campus News Editor

Board of Regents meeting at WSUV

focuses on the budget

Mark Balyshev/The VanCougar

Mark Balyshev/The VanCougar

CAMPUS NEWS 3

2/10 Selecting a Major Workshop @ noon in VFSC 104. Free and open to all current students

On Feb. 18, author and historian Allan C. Carlson will be coming to

Vancouver to discuss an alternative socioeconomic system: agrarianism. The Offi ce of Student Involvement is hosting Carlson’s visit. He will be speaking at two events on the 18th, an afternoon conference and an evening keynote.

Allan C. Carlson is a historian and author who graduated with a bachelors of arts from Augustana College and a Ph.D. in modern European history from Ohio University. Carlson is president of the Howard Center for family, religion and society. Carlson has written several works including Third Ways: How Bulgarian Greens, Swedish Housewives, and Beer-swilling Englishmen Crafted Family-Centered Economies-and why they disappeared, a widely popular book among agrarian school of thought.

Carlson will be coming to campus to discuss current events from the agrarian perspective. Agrarianism is a school of thought that values rural life, farming and focuses on giving back social and political power to small communities. Thus, proponents of agrarianism seek to give political power back to local communities and stress the importance of people cultivating the land for a more

fulfi lling life. Agrarian followers have worked to fi ght the industrialization of farming and economic systems based off of large scale capitalism. Furthermore, many agrarian thinkers are strongly against the expansion of national government, giving the movement a conservative fl avor.

Carlson’s work with the Howard Center will also give him a traditional values based perspective. The Howard Center puts a high importance on family and what has been termed as the traditional idea of family—a heterosexual couple with children. The Howard center believes that this combination is an important, natural societal structure. These values are also usually associated with a conservative pool of thought.

The daytime event is entitled “The Greediest Generation: The two-fold nature of the post-WWII state.” Allan C. Carlson will discuss how one generation in particular, which one scholar has termed “the greediest generation”, has benefi ted from both phases of the welfare state—new deal legislation and social security. Carlson will be offering his historical perspective and faculty member Dana Baker will be offering an alternate point of view on the subject. All students are invited to attend the free event on campus. There will be a complementary luncheon provided as well. The daytime lunch starts at 1:15 p.m. and the conference will begin at 1:30 p.m. in the Firstenburg Student Commons.

The evening event is entitled, “Beyond Socialism and Capitalism:

Rebuilding an American Economy Focused on Family and Community.” Allan C. Carlson will discuss great historical thinkers that created their own societies inside of the bustling 20th century world. These societies focused on democracy, localism, labor ethics, individual property rights, and preserving the family as a societal unit. The evening event is open to the public and upholds

the University’s long tradition of bringing relevant speakers to campus to discuss thought-provoking ideas and current events from all sides of the political spectrum.

Carlson will be speaking at 7:30 p.m. in the Fort Vancouver High School Auditorium. Tickets are $10 each. Complementary tickets are being given out to high school and college students. If you are interested

in free tickets, come by the Offi ce of Student Involvement. WSUV students who get free tickets are also entered into a raffl e to win a seat at the dinner with Allan Carlson and several important community members.

If you are interested in attending the Public Affairs Lecture Series, or would like more information about the program, please visit: www.vancouver.wsu.edu/pals

Beyond Socialism and Capitalism: Third WaysHistorian Allan C.

Carlson coming to speak at WSUV

Sally Thrall/Campus News Editor

Evan Moriwaki- Environmental Science“I haven’t told anyone this yet, but the only

alternative I have is to join the Marines...”

History - Jeff Sanders“It will make me work a lot more hours if

I can, it will put the squeeze on me because I support my wife and 8 year old daughter.”

Josh Jones - History“I have trouble paying my bills, and I’ve been

trying to do my best without loans but I would have to do that and take a semester or two off to work.”

“If tuition goes up $900, how will this a� ect you?”

Biology - Sarah Smith“I will not be able to continue to go to

school. My husband works many hours already and I rely on pell grants to pay the rest.”

Eva Trimble - Psychology “I’m graduating in May, but I know a lot of people who will be here, and I know they will be affected greatly, and it impacts my view of Washington Schools”

Evelynn Feaster/Larissa Lutt- EnglishFeaster: “If it goes up and my fi nancial aid gets

cut, there is no way I can afford to go to school.” Lutt: “I’m dependant on fi nancial aid and if it’s cut, I’m going to have to drop.”

Electrical Engineering - Devyn Puckett“I might have issues paying for next semester.

My parents cant afford this tuition and I’m already on loans.”

Candid CougsJake Kleinschmidt/Managing Editor

Allan C. Carlson Photo Courtesy of meridianmagazine.com

Phone banking was set up in the a d m i n i s t r a t i o n

building during the rally so students could call legislators about the tuition hikes. However, many voices were ignored. Representative Pat Sullivan asked that the students just stop calling. Representative Derek Kilmer said he wasn’t even interested in voting on the issue.

Despite the large group of students who attended to show their support, not all of them were in full agreement with the sentiments of the speakers. Some feel that tuition is not a right, but rather a privilege that should not be fully supported by the government. DLA Sterr commented saying it is an ideological difference. “Educating the public is a responsibility of the public; we need to start looking it as a public good.”

As the rally continued, administrators as well as professors started to turn out in support of the rally. Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Nancy Youlden said, “All of administration is concerned about the students. Southwest Washington is being hit particularly hard by employment problems and is suffering from it. The State continues to cut its budget more and more each year, and we don’t feel it should be put on the backs of students.”

The total cost of running the campus is not increasing, but the government is trying to transfer more of the cost of tuition to the students, rather than paying what they have been through grants in the past.

Chancellor Hal Dengerink said, “All across the country, people are looking for solutions for how to pay for higher education, and increasingly people are seeing students as the source for funding higher education. There’s this notion that the higher education is the benefi t to

the person who receives it, rather than seeing it as also being a public benefi t, and thus a shared responsibility, so all were balancing higher education off on the backs of students. And I think it is poor public policy in the long run.”

Chancellor Dengerink also sees the diffi cult task for the people in Olympia. “The people who are in charge of setting the state budgets have a horrendous task of trying to solve both the immediate problems and long term problems.”

Chancellor Dengerink said, “There’s no one way to do it. Following this up with telephone calls, e-mails, and so forth to legislator is extremely important.”

President Ferderer is already planning the future goals to carrying this message straight to the capitol. “Our next step is Coug Day at the Capitol on Feb. 14, 15, and 16., where we will have a lot of impact. We can share our stories and our thoughts directly to the legislators.”

RallyContinued from page 1

Jake Kleinschmidt/The VanCougar

4 STUDENT INVOLVEMENT

2/16 Test Taking Workshop @ 3 p.m. in VFSC 104. Free and open to current students. Learn tips and tricks for improving test scores

With small, yellow and red squares in hand, art viewers judged photographs from all over the world. They were visually taken from Peru to Thailand, Guatemala to Spain, Hawaii to Israel, and everywhere in between.

On Jan. 27, students were filing in to the Firstenburg Student Commons where they instantly assumed the role of art critic and judge. The Travel Café, put on by the Campus Reading Project and the Office of Student Involvement, provided an open event for all Cougars to come together.

OSI Marketing Intern Kendal Mantzke had been planning this event since the beginning of November. The main attraction at the Travel Café was the photo contest. Over 100 photos were submitted by students, staff, and faculty for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to The Bookie.

As guests walked through the doors of the Commons for the event, they were handed their ‘voting tools’. Each attendee was given three yellow pieces of paper to vote for their favorite photos from abroad and two red pieces of paper for the

local pictures. With over 71 photos to choose from, some guests spent over five m i n u t e s j u s t s t a r i n g at the pictures.

For those that felt hungry after their pictorial travels, there was a buffet of food from all over the world. While eating, attendees had the chance to draw pictures of locations they had been to as well as place push-pins into a world map s h o w i n g t h e i r vacation spots.

Kenta Y a m a g u c h i , the guest speaker, gave a presentation at the Travel Café about his 90-day biking trip from Alaska to the Tri-Cities.

More than 80 people were in attendance, a greater number than Mantzke had originally expected.

The ‘calming’ a t m o s p h e r e and the inviting feeling of the room were the reasons for the high attendance she said. “It was just a great time for students to come to an open event and not feel obligated to do anything. Since it was so open, it made students want to participate more. It was a very chill event.”

When the Travel Café closed shop, the votes were counted. In the ‘abroad’ category, Sue Phelps took home the $50 gift certificate with her ‘out-the-window’ water scene. John Won received the second gift certificate for his ‘local’ picture of one of the UW Libraries.

Wish you were hereKatie Wells/Editor-in-Chief

OSI and Campus Reading project sponsor

Travel Café event

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Three years ago, the ONE Campus Challenge, a competition that engages

college campuses across the country to take action in the fight against global poverty, began its annual Power 100 Summit, which brings the campus leaders from the Top 100 schools to DC for a weekend of advocacy and learning. On this third annual Power 100 Summit, Serena Kandoll and I made the trek to snowy DC to represent Washington State University – Vancouver in the top 100.

Over two days, all of the students attended numerous sessions, hearing from speakers like Robert Draper, correspondent for GQ and contributor to The New York Times and National Geographic; Ambassador Mark Green, Managing Policy Director, Malaria No More; Franklin Moore, Deputy Assistant Administrator, USAID; Rev. David Beckmann, President, Bread for the World; and ONE CEO David Lane. For both of us there were particular moments that stood out, and for Serena that moment was when we heard from Sally Canfield of The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

An outgrowth of The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is

something called the Living Proof Project, which aims to change the public’s perception of aid in Africa. For a long time, aid programs have had a bad reputation as inefficient and corrupt – in many cases, aid money would never reach the people for whom it was intended. In correlation with this, many people in the Western world thought of Africans as disease ridden and depressed. In recent years, however, aid programs such as UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria have d r a m a t i c a l l y influenced disease prevalence – in many African nations, malaria rates have been cut in half, four million Africans are now taking ARVs (antiretrovirals, aka Anti-HIV or Anti-AIDS drugs), and deaths in childbirth have fallen drastically.

Even with all of this progress, Americans especially still thought negatively of aid funds and the Africans benefitting from them. This is where Living Proof comes in – videos showing laughing, happy children; stationary with smiling African faces; and fact sheets showing how disease rates have tumbled. The project aims to show

Americans, and other Westerners, how people in Africa are no longer barely surviving, they are thriving. Yes, more work needs to be done – life expectancy on most of the continent is about half that of the average American’s life expectancy. However, the Living Proof Project shows that progress is being made and will continue as more aid flows

into African nations – Bill Gates himself just pledged $10 billion over the next ten years towards vaccines in developing countries.

“Ms. Canfield’s presentation was very moving,” Kandoll said after returning to Vancouver. “I definitely felt teary-eyed more than a few times seeing the beautiful, happy, healthy faces of the children featured.” (If you are interested in learning more about the Living Proof Project, go to www.gatesfoundation.org/

livingproofproject.)For me, the part that struck me

the most also had to do with kids. On Saturday, we met Pam Cope, the woman who started the Touch A Life Foundation nine years ago, after her 15 year old son Jansten died of an undetected heart defect. In lieu of flowers, Pam and her husband Randy asked people to donate to Jantsen’s

Memorial Fund. The money they received from this fund helped them to start the Touch a Life Foundation, which has helped them to touch the lives of numerous children in Cambodia, Vietnam and Ghana.

Many children in developing countries have families that are in such poverty that

they sell their children into slavery for the $20 they get for the initial sale. It is these children whose lives Pam and Randy are touching, by working with native Cambodians, Ghanaians and Vietnamese to pull these young kids out of slavery. They have turned the lives of these kids around, bringing them out of slavery and in to a life of education, fun and healthy food. Their lives are no longer buried deep in poverty. They are happy.

Hearing from Pam about these

kids made me realize how important the work the ONE members do is. The more we talk to our senators and representatives about how important it is to get these people out of poverty, the less kids there will be that are forced in to slavery, or experience other consequences of poverty.

Also at the Power 100 Summit, I spoke with the four other members of the OCC in Kenya trip that occurred this summer. We shared our experiences with the other students in an attempt to really showcase how important our work is here. It’s just like Pam Cope’s story – the more students get involved, the less likely people will spend the rest of their lives in poverty.

I came away from the Power 100 re-inspired, and Serena has told me that she is even more motivated to help out than when I asked her to go with me. If you’re interested in learning more about the ONE Campaign or getting involved on the WSU-Vancouver Campus, please contact either Melissa Boles or Serena Kandoll in the Office of Student Involvement, or go to www.one.org/campus. We really can make a difference!

ONE is a global advocacy and campaigning organization backed by more than two million people from around the world dedicated to fighting extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. For more information please visit www.ONE.org.

The Power of ONE: WSUV students go to D.C.Power 100 Summit

Conference in Washington, D.C.

Melissa Boles and Serena Kandoll

STUDENT INVOLVEMENT 5

Come find your match at the WSUV Speed Dating Event Thursday, Feb. 11 from 4:15 p.m. to 7 p.m.! Sign up in OSI.

On Monday, Feb. 1 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. the art room of VMMC 107 was

transformed into a sweatshop-free t-shirt factory. KOUG Radio hosted the event, which was centered on a logo contest and featured food and local music.

Artistically talented students from all over campus submitted their designs to the campus’ radio station in the hopes of their artwork being plastered all over bulletin boards, posters, and t-shirts. The contest was based on visual aesthetics and the creative artistic definition of KOUG Radio.

It was a hard decision with many visually appealing works to choose from. After the deadline ended, a vote was taken amongst DJ’s, directors, and fans at a meeting. The winner

was Jimmy Kramer, who’s simple, geometric fusion of the name KOUG Radio caught the eyes of many. It was also a perfect design for screen-printing, a printing technique that uses stencils and inks to create awesome hand painted clothing.

Hundreds of CD’s donated by the Portland Mercury newspaper were picked out of huge gray bins and played during the event. Most of the CD’s came from local artists in the Portland and Vancouver area. The students had the opportunity to hear new music as well as vote on whether or not the music should be included in the stations rotation.

The event would not have happened without the help of Jeannette Altman, a fine arts instructional technician, who donated her day preparing the non-toxic materials, aiding students in the screen printing process, and cleaning up. She seemed quite comfortable with the art form and said that she had learned screen-printing at WSU with an instructor from Portland State University.

Altman was more than happy to explain the instructions multiple times to students who wandered in and out of the event and said, “When you have people who are excited about learning, it’s its own reward.”

Cara Cottingham, Station Manager, had worked hard planning, organizing, and ordering materials for the event. But at the event, she was relaxed and all smiles while making numerous t-shirts in the hopes of giving them away as prizes and gifts for interested students. “I think this t-shirt party is the most fun thing we’ve done since the station opened. It’s great to see everyone’s excitement.” Jacob Casey, a DJ specializing in modern classical music, agreed: “It’s a party! I think it’s great and the design is beautiful. It’s not often we get together and creatively express ourselves.”

To get your own KOUG Radio T-shirt, become a DJ, apply for one of the many paid Director’s positions, or just get involved, go to kougradio.com.

“The main purpose of the club is to raise people’s

awareness of birds in the community,” said Joey Smokey, the Birder’s Association club president. The club is new on WSUV’s campus, having just been founded last semester. So far there are only about six members, most of whom are science majors, ranging from biology to mechanical engineering. But there are also a few graduate students, and the club’s advisor is Dr. Christine Portfors, a neuroscience professor who researches the auditory system in mice and bats.

Last semester, the Birder’s Association’s meetings were held every other week during which members plotted out the club’s future agenda, which left no time for scheduling an event. That is about to change this semester, as the club is inviting a guest speaker to campus. The guest, whom Smokey met while volunteering at the Oregon Zoo, is a falconer who used to be the coordinator of the birds of prey program there. Still working in the conservation field, she has accepted Smokey’s invitation to speak at WSUV, though the Birder’s Association has not set a specific date yet. However, when the actual day and time have been confirmed, Smokey will be going about campus posting fliers and giving out handbills.

Another event that Smokey is excited about this semester is a series of workshops on

ornithology, which are also still in the planning stage. The workshops will focus primarily on the physiology of birds.

When asked what made him become so fascinated with birds, Smokey said, “Most people have asked me that. I just tell them it’s something that just feels right, more like a calling.” Though Smokey has not taken an official class on birds, he believes his volunteering at the Oregon Zoo for five years, as well as doing research on his own, will benefit the club and its goals for bird conservation.

According to Smokey, the first club meeting this semester will be soon. Anyone interested in joining the club can reach Smokey at pt40master@comcast.net to be put on the club’s mailing list for meetings and event notifications.

Bird Club excited for new plans this semesterA brief review of the Birder’s Association

Club at WSUV

Chau Nguyen/ Involvement Editor

Chau Nguyen/The VanCougarJoey Smokey, the Birder’s Association club president, plans to make his club more popular on campus with some exciting plans for Spring.

KOUG Radio t-shirt party

Triana Collins/ ACE Editor

If the shirt fits: KOUG radio creates wearable

advertising

The crew were getting ready to transfer the images onto the shirts. Katie Wells/The VanCougar Katie Wells/The VanCougar

6 FEATURE

2/9 Strong Interest Inventory for those with undecided majors @ 4 p.m. in VFSC 104. Open and free to students and alumni

Ok this time, it should really be the RAGE.

I freaking hate this 14 percent tuition hike.

Not because of the fact that it is going to nearly make it impossible for me to graduate. Not because of the fact that I have to figure out how to get $900 more to pay for tuition. But because of all the people who I know will not be able to continue their education just because the government does not want to fork out more money to its own future.

When I was doing interviewing students during the walk out, I was surprised that from student to student one thing remained consistent. Not even one single student I talked to said that they could continue their education with this massive hike in tuition costs. Not even one, unless they were graduating this semester, and they admit that they could not afford college if they were to continue into Fall of 2010.

The stories I have heard are varied from one to another, but they all end up with the same plea. They cannot afford a tuition hike in this economy.

Nobody can, the unemployment rates in Southwest Washington are alarmingly high, a hike like this is nearly impossible to afford. What do these problems leave students with to do to save their wallets?

Frighteningly, nearly everyone I talk to says they cannot afford to graduate. Some are supporting families or their family is supporting them. The level of dependency is great and thus causing problems of finding alternative means of income. Those who have financial aid already are at the risk of losing it as the rules are changing regularly for what qualifies you as at need.

Peoples dreams, lives, and their goals which are only a but a few years away from them are being ripped away by legislators who are trying to balance who will pay for what.

The argument is that students should have to pay their own way because they will be the ones who benefit for it, and it shouldn’t be a right, it shouldn’t be something the government should have to pay for.

Then why do we say K-12 is a right? My question is, if we offered higher education for everyone, wouldn’t this benefit the entire nation? And if you are concerned that “bad apples” would ruin the system, then my question is why would people who tend to rebel against the

education system which to continue this route by choice? I think at least part of that population would go on to join the work force because they no longer wished to pursue their education.

America needs to be educated, we shouldn’t turn to the countries future and say “Sorry, but you will have to be a higher class citizen in order further your education.” That’s spelling disaster in the name of Oligarchy.

In the interest of being a progressive nation, shouldn’t we want to help our citizens from all levels of income to have at least the chance to earn an education?

Nobody wants to pay more taxes in order to fund these kinds of things, but if we readjusted what our taxes paid for, and focused on what really mattered, this wouldn’t be such an issue. And our legislators need to be told this. Because I will not stand silent while I see my friends and fellow students go down and out without an education, or being forced into changing their life’s course just because of some bad policy changes.

Tuition Hike, I hate you. I hate that you will cause problems for nearly every student in the state of Washington. I hate that you can affect lives, yet ignore screams for help and understanding. Tuition hike, I freaking hate your very existence.

Valentine’s Day is a very special holiday. But there are very important

rules to follow if you want to do it right:

1. Don’t give people those cheesy mass-made cards. Make your own.

2. If you’re just starting to date someone, don’t overdo it. You don’t want to look obsessed even (especially) if you are.

3. If you are dating someone, DO overdo it, because then they’ll feel guilty for not doing as much, and will make it up to you on the next holiday.

4. If you’re about to break up with someone, DON’T do it on Valentine’s Day. Unless of course, you never want them to talk to you again. In that case, DO it on Valentine’s Day.

5. Finally, wait until the day after Valentine’s Day to buy candy/chocolate. Then it’ll be hella cheaper.

6. If you’re super extra cheap, take your date out for some FREE events.

What: Chocolate & Wine Tour When: Sunday, February 14Where: Various Wineries Time: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.Cost: (mostly) FREE—check

with individual wineries What is better than a nice big

glass of wine and some matching chocolates on Valentines Day? Perhaps it would be your sweetheart dressed in nothing but a velvet bathrobe feeding them to you...in a 5-star penthouse suite hotel, overlooking the

Mediterranean Sea... while the slow sunset throws splashes of neon colors across smooth, harmless clouds that sit like lazy sea lions on the horizon of your picture-perfect life. Yes, that would be quite nice wouldn’t it? Well, perhaps that’s just not realistic. In that case, I suggest heading over to some of our local wineries for some wine and chocolate pairing. Bethany Vineyards, Rusty Grape Vineyard, Three Brothers Vineyard & Winery, Confluence Vineyards, and East Fork Cellars are all based out of either Ridgefield or Battle Ground, and will each be hosting the sweet stuff and the strong stuff (and maybe some live music too) for your Valentine’s Day pleasure.

What: Green HomeWhen: Saturday, February 13Where: Water Resources Education CenterTime: 1 to 3 p.m.Cost: FREEDo you have a green home? What,

you don’t?? OMG. That is so lame... you better do something about it right away or else you’ll never get ahead in life, never make anything of yourself, never make your parents proud, etc., etc. But, there is HOPE. The Water Center will be hosting a day to discover the energy wasters hiding in your home and what you can do about them. Learn the simple way to fix leaky faucets, the easy way to compost, the mindless way to recycle (blue bin = good, black can = bad).

What: Valentine’s TreatsWhen: Tuesday, February 9Where: Cascade Park Community LibraryTime: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.Cost: FREEGreeting cards are so passé. I

mean seriously, what do YOU do with them? You throw them out, that’s

what. So if you really love someone you give them something edible. Learn to make chocolate rosebuds and other sugary treats at the library for your sweetie. What, don’t have a sweetie? Make ‘em for your mom! What, your mom’s a total controlling bitch? Make ‘em for yourself!

What: Anti-Valentine’s DayWhen: Friday, February 12thWhere: Salmon Valley Community LibraryTime: 6 to 8 p.m.Cost: FREE“Cupid is stupid” is the motto

for this public event. If you are a loveophobe, or scared of heart shaped things, go to the library and watch a movie and eat popcorn with other like-minded people. They guarantee “no lovey-dovey anything”.

What: Suffrage CelebrationWhen: Saturday, February 20Where: Battle Ground Community LibraryTime: 7 p.m.Cost: FREEDr. Linda Allen will be giving

a presentation on the 100-year anniversary of Washington women winning their right to vote. Isn’t it so absurd that they ever couldn’t?

What: Belly DanceWhen: Friday, February 12Where: Mint Tea, Downtown VancouverTime: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.Cost: FREEZaina, an international belly

dance instructor, performer, and teacher at Clark College, will be at Mint Tea gracing everyone with her mesmerizing mid-section. If you haven’t been to Mint Tea, this will be a great start. They offer organic savory meals, sweet treats, beer, wine, (with many vegan options) as well as Fair-Trade gifts for everyone.

Free Coug: living on a budget

Triana Collins/ACE Editor

Jake Kleinschmidt/Managing Editor

The Rant

Cheap activities for the average, poor college

student to enjoy without going broke Kate Tijerina is a WSUV

senior who thinks the world could be a better

place and is doing overtime to make it happen. Although her mind may be filled with the injustices and unmet needs of the Earth’s inhabitants, she somehow manages to brightly smile through all the grief and sadness. And by strategically managing her classes, homework, and heavy volunteer schedule, she finds some time to talk about the beauty behind it all.

Hailing from Ridgefield, Tijerina started out at Clark College, and then transferred to WSUV. She wanted to stay close to home and admits she is “ridiculously close” with her parents. When she’s not studying, playing piano, spending time in nature, or hanging out with her family, this public affairs major volunteers with numerous on and off campus organizations including the AmeriCorp, WSU Student Alumni Group, and the Social and Environmental Justice Club, in which she is a key member.

The recent disaster in Haiti quickly sparked Tijerina to help initiate an on-campus coalition. She organized meetings to discuss the situation and is currently trying to get all the clubs on campus to be involved in a drive aimed at sending donations of money and hygiene kits to people in need. “It’s going to be a big undertaking, Tijerina says. “I think everyone wants to help and many of us are able, but we don’t know the route to doing it. Having the platform of WSUV, and past experience, has given me the ability to help plan and give to an effort.”

For the past 4 years, Tijerina has been volunteering with Stream Team, an organization that is part of Clark Public Utilities. She is currently a Stream Team Leader, which entails training volunteers to plant trees, teaching about local wildlife and the benefits of protecting our watersheds. She explains that when trees are removed from the area around a stream, the water temperature rises and the fish stop feeding and laying eyes. “The rising temperature really cripples the fish,” she says, “so we plant trees to provide shade. It’s fun and I like being outside.” Sometimes, Tijerina gets to experience the fruits of her labor, as was the case when a stream she worked on had salmon return after an absence of 14 years.

Starting this past summer, Tijerina has been working with the Loaves and Fishes Center’s Meals on Wheels program. A non-profit, secular organization, Meals on Wheels delivers hot, nutritious meals to homebound seniors, people who can’t drive or who have mobility issues. She prepares and serves meals, delivers food to homes, and trains special needs people for service attendant positions at stores like Walmart and Safeway. “If these people didn’t have someone delivering food to them I don’t know what they would do,” Tijerina states. “The welfare programs have been cut so much. Plus, if it wasn’t for Meals on Wheels there would be a lot more people being rushed into nursing homes.”

When she goes on her deliveries, Tijerina often gets invited inside. “I go in and hang out sometimes,” she says. “But I have to be timely because so many people are just sitting home waiting for the food. Some are just so happy to say ‘hi’ and ‘have a good day.’” The recipients receive food every weekday, with extra on Fridays to last them through the weekend. They are also given two days of emergency

rations should something extreme happen. Their pets are taken care of as well, with people delivering cat,

dog, and fish food for those who can’t get it themselves.

Tijerina enjoys working with seniors and likes “hearing their stories and jokes”. She confesses that she has her favorites: “I like the sassy ones.”

Tijerina believes that her decision to work with Meals on Wheels was a natural progression that started when she and her sister became their grandmother’s caretaker. “If my grandmother hadn’t had us she would have gone to a nursing home,” Tijerina says. “Taking care of her is a commitment that I miss. It was a choice; I never felt like something was forced on me.” Both of Tijerina’s grandmothers played an important role in her life, which she was more than happy to honor when they needed her. “My sister and I absorbed all of their inner strength, compassion, and drive,” Tijerina states. “They helped us young women to be involved. My grandmothers provided support and guidance, and told us not to do something just because everyone else does it. They told us to research it first. They were so incredible, and had so much wisdom from their 90 years.”

Tijerina’s volunteer mentality started when she was very young. “My mom would have us do stuff when we were little,” she remembers, “like church activities and Cat 4H, where we volunteer at nursing homes, walking our cat around. In high school we held a 9/11 fundraiser, events for women’s shelters, clothes and food drives, and volunteered at soup kitchens.” Tijerina gives credit to her family for inspiring her to lead a life of service. “My parents taught us compassion and to try and examine every situation from the other person’s point of view,” she says. “We were also able to give more because we were provided with a lot of privileges. Therefore, we were taught to give back.”

Once she graduates, Tijerina’s 10-year plan is to be either deeply involved with a nonprofit against sex trafficking or to start her own nonprofit with her sister. She is deeply passionate about the horror of the sex trafficking trade, and says it is “absolute torture. I’m not just talking about prostitution. I’m talking about children that are stolen or sold from their homes because their parents can’t do anything else. They are sold to pimps, live their lives on some kind of sedative, and are sold from man to man to man. It’s disgusting and disheartening. It’s an evil that has always existed and an evil that more children need to be saved from.”

This passionate workaholic plans on dedicating her life to researching and finding out the root of the sex trafficking problem. “It’s going to be ugly, Tijerina says firmly. “I don’t think it will ever stop. I tell people I’m never gong to be rich, but that’s okay because I know it will be rewarding.”

Tijerina believes one of the best things a student can do is utilize clubs on campus. “They benefit the student body and the community,” she states. “Once you find a club with issues you believe in, you can work for things other than yourself. Then you learn about yourself, gain friendships, and really enjoy the few years that you’re a student. But first you have to ask yourself what you would like to do. You don’t want to go out and say ‘oh God, I can’t believe I’m doing this’. Make sure their aspirations are in line with yours. And if you only have a certain amount of time, then do it, because while it’s a volunteer situation for you, it could be a necessity for someone else. “

Feel inspired? Get involved!

Triana Collins/ACE Editor

Spotlight: Kate TijerinaWSUV student loves

volunteering

FEATURE 7

2/10 Selecting a Major Workshop @ noon in VFSC 104. Free and open to all current students

It took me forty years of life and a crash course in a rational philosophy1 to truly

integrate a concept that I thought I knew for my entire adult life. What do I mean by integrate? I mean to understand a concept so well that all contradictions to the concept become immediately exposed, leaving a crystal clear vision of its meaning. Why did it take me forty years? Well, the concept in question can be tricky, and it can sometimes reveal things that are painful to acknowledge, so it is seductively easy to look the other way. What is this concept? It is the law of causality. Every effect has a cause, and every cause has an effect. What is so seductive about ignoring it? Ignoring the law of causality results in primarily two modes of thinking:

1. Wishful thinking. Wishful thinking could be the leading cause for not getting things done. “If I put it off today, maybe it will go away.”

“I can still get an A on the exam, even if I play one more game.”

“If only I were as smart as that guy, then I could learn this stuff.”

“I can eat my cake and have it too,” or worse, “I can eat my cake without ever having to bake it.”

Wishful thinking also leads to rationalizations to make reality fi t what I hope for, rather than what it really is. For example:

“Yes, I know the recession was brought on by people spending

recklessly, but I just know that the government can spend our way out of the resulting recession.” (See the contradiction?)

No, reality cannot be wiped out for the sake of anyone’s wishes, even if you call them prayers. In the end, wishes are just nice daydreams.

2. Short-term thinking. Short-term thinking is the leading cause of bad fi nance, bad government, poor decision making, immoral acts, criminal acts, and failure because of “gotchas.” Short-term thinking also creates situations where I have to make rationalizations, which then lead to lowered expectations or changes of priorities. “Well, I didn’t really need a good grade in chemistry. Besides, I think I would like beauty school better anyway.”

The peril of ignoring the law of causality is that unintended consequences are very likely to happen: unintended because limited thought (if any) is ever given to alternative possible outcomes. These unintended consequences could be good (fortuitous discovery), but are most likely to be bad. They can range from a total disaster where everything falls apart, to simply failing to get anything done by failing to act at all. Of course, failing to act is a choice as clearly as acting in time (or preventatively) but is a choice that is made by default rather than deliberately. It is the choice made most often by those who spend their

time wishing rather than working. The guy that is “so smart that he just gets everything” does not really exist. What people do not see is how hard that guy works to understand what he is learning, because he works ahead. He is answering all the questions because he has already completed that work. Michael Phelps did not become the world’s fastest swimmer because he was talented; it was because he started training to swim at a professional level while he was in grade school. Tiger Woods was always on the golf course as a child, Roger Federer played more tennis before he was 9 years old than most people play in a lifetime, and Mozart’s father drove Wolfgang like a slave from a very young age. It all takes an enormous amount of work to be good at something. Cause: I put a great deal of hard work into a task. Effect: I become very good at that task. Wish: If I were Einstein I wouldn’t have to struggle with this physics. Effect: I will never be very good at physics. Let me be clear about this issue. There are no free cakes. If you want to eat cake you have two options. You can bake one or you can trade for one. A cake will not bake itself, no matter what your need or your wish. Those that think they can get their cake for free do not realize that they are trading something for the cake, even if it is not tangible. What is most often traded away is independence followed by self respect. Wishful thinking is personally destructive, it seduces people into living by belief

rather than by knowledge, but it is not nearly as destructive as short-term thinking. Why? Unintended consequences often go far beyond one’s own sphere to affect many other people as well, sometimes catastrophically. Every immoral act that is committed by men is a result of short-term thinking. Theft, homicide, rape, deceit, and fraud are all results of short-term thinking. All of the worst man-made accidents are the result of short-term thinking. So, why would anyone think short-term? The trouble is that short-term thinking is just as seductive as wishful thinking, particularly to people that need to be popular, like politicians. There is no moral principle that a politician will not set aside in order to pursue votes. Short-term thinking is not “being selfi sh” as most people mislabel it. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Selfi shness means acting in one’s self interest, and nothing could be less in one’s self interest than destroying long term gains in favor of short-term ones. Was Enron acting in its self interest when it falsifi ed documents to dupe investors? Obviously not! Any and I mean any act that violates the law of causality is not in one’s self interest, because the law of causality cannot be broken. In fact, the inescapable consequences, the effects that go with every cause, catch up with everyone eventually. What is it called when these consequences catch up? It is called justice. Well that is the down side of the law of causality, but there is a tremendous upside as well. Now

that I understand the law of causality, every possibility is open to me to pursue. I know with perfect clarity that any task (within the realm of reality) I choose to accomplish can be completed successfully. All I have to do is focus on it and then work on it. Will I have to work hard? You bet I will, but every reward is sweeter and has more value if I work hard at it. Now that I know this, I can truly say that “I am the man that loves his life.” Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

1. Objectivism is the philosophy of Ayn Rand, a wholly rational and contradiction free philosophy.

Gene Ligman is the founder and current president of the Who Is John Galt club, a registered WSU club dedicated to the study and discussion of Objectivism. Information about the Who Is John Galt club can be found at vancouver.wsu.edu/ss/clubs.

- Gene Ligman

It’s hard to review something that you want to like when your expectations couldn’t

be met. Unfortunately, that was my experience with Five Guys Burgers and Fries. I’ll certainly strive to be fair in this review, because Five Guys has a few good things going for it that other burger joints could learn from. That said, my experience there left plenty to be desired.

To begin with, Five Guys’ theme revolves around an obvious bid to emulate the “small town burger joint” feel, which they do fairly well, provided you don’t mind the faux backlot feel of a small town burger joint. Upon walking through the door, one is immediately greeted by an employee shouting “one through the door!” That novel acknowledgement of your existence is fi ne, though it gets old very quickly if you plan to sit down and eat, because someone walks through the door about every one to fi ve minutes.

Rather than using the typical velvet rope (or “seatbelt on a stick” for most places), Five Guys has opted to use their surplus potato sacks to guide the line of patrons to the register. I suppose this is a nice touch, but at the same time, it looks like they are preparing for a fl ood as the potato sacks look like sand bags. It is certainly a unique interior decorating choice.

Upon arriving at the ordering

counter, one is presented with a simple, yet liberating menu. There are four burgers to choose from, a hamburger, a cheeseburger, a bacon burger, and a bacon cheeseburger. Alternatively, you can order a “little” version of each as well. All toppings are free, and you have your choice of mayo, relish, onions, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, ketchup, mustard, jalapeños, green peppers, A-1, barbeque sauce and hot sauce. A sign hangs below the menu that states that the burgers are served either “juicy or well done.”

I ’ m assuming that if you wanted to, you could have all of those toppings on your burger, but I kept it simple and went for a bacon cheeseburger with mayo, lettuce, pickles, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, and ketchup. Upon placing my order, one of the employees yelled “two patties!” That startled me. So now we have employees shouting every time someone walks through the door, and every time someone orders. That makes for a random shout-out just about every thirty seconds.

I was handed my order number and I took a seat. I did my best to fi nd a table that wasn’t dirty, but to no avail. To make matters worse, all of tables are very close together in a sort of high school cafeteria-style arrangement, which gave me no choice but to bear witness to a room full of people cramming their faces with piles of ground beef and stacks of potato sticks. I’m a hardcore carnivore and food lover, yet even I

found that aspect unsettling. As I searched for a table, I

noticed a giant box of peanuts on one of the garbage cans. These were complementary, which is great if you like peanuts, not so if you object to the fl oor beneath every table being littered with peanut shells. There was a scoop in the peanuts, but pretty much everyone used their hands. Not

once did I see an employee come out to clean the dirty tables or sweep the fl oors.

After about ten minutes of waiting, my burger was ready. The burger was wrapped in tin foil, which is at least recyclable. I also ordered fries, a regular size, but I’m pretty sure they just went ahead and dumped the whole basket of fries into my bag, which was also cool. Take my word for it, they do not skimp on the fries,

I got at least a good two potatoes worth, if not more.

The burger itself was pretty good. It easily beat anything that you could get at Burger King, Wendy’s, or McDonald’s by a long shot. The bacon was amazing. Unlike at other burger joints, I could actually taste it. Another novelty was that my burger arrived hot and fresh, which I can attest to, as there is no wall

between the kitchen and the dinning area, allowing one to watch their burger being made.

The fries were excellent—really and truly what fries should be. Better yet, they were made fresh. Five Guys even posts a sign on the wall indicating where the potatoes came from. The downside is that the fries are cooked in peanut oil. George Washington Carver would be proud,

but you might experience a more anaphylactic response.

The walls of Five Guys are covered with signs that contain silly quotes from various newspapers and food review websites praising the glory of their burgers. One described the burgers as “multi-level meat and cheese monstrosities,” which sounded about right considering that, according to Wikipedia (or the culmination of man’s knowledge, if you will), their double cheeseburger has over 800 calories. Another sign, quoting The Washington Post, read “Willy Wonkas of Bugercraft.” Considering the caloric intake, that should make most of us Augustus Gloops.

The bottom line is this: the burgers are pretty darn good, but not the best I have ever had. For a comparable sum of money, one could go to Burgerville and get a Pepper Bacon Tillamook Cheeseburger, which is a better burger provided by a local business. It should also be remembered that at Burgerville one is able to sit at a quiet and private booth. Still, the Five Guys burgers were delicious, and I like that one can order a burger any way they see fi t (if you’re looking for something more authentically small town, drive to Wenatchee and get a burger from Rusty’s). Would I go back? Yes, of course, but I wouldn’t stay to eat. I’ll take my meal home, so that I can enjoy it in quiet privacy. I will certainly go back for the fries at Five Guys. There’s nothing like them anywhere else around here, and they defi nitely deserve a shout-out of their own.

Don’t believe the hype, but order the fries

Joe Creager/Photographer

Five Guys Burgers and Fries review

Joe Creager/The VanCougar

Write in to vancouged@

vancouver.wsu.edu to have your letter published and your voice

heard

8 STUDENT GOVERNMENT

2/11 Speed Dating in VFSC from 4:15 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Come fi nd you match! Sign up in OSI as soon as possible to participate

Hello everyone! What a couple of weeks it has been since the last

column. In only those two weeks, ASWSUV put together an amazing rally. Students at schools throughout the state coordinated walkouts and rallies to show our solidarity and to legislators that we want low tuition and continued support for fi nancial aid. A petition circulated the crowd and gained two-hundred and sixty-four signatures. In a few days, the inboxes of legislators will be fl ooded with these testimonies and more from other participating schools. The phones in Olympia were also ringing off the hook on February 4th, as we made countless calls to leadership in the House and Senate Ways and Means, and Higher Education Committees.

This is probably not the fi rst time you have heard about the success of the rally, though—we were featured on KOIN, KGW, and KATU; in two articles in The Columbian and a few other newspapers around the state; and on the radio at least twice! So what’s next?!

ASWSUV is now signing up

students to travel to Olympia from February 14-16th. This event, affectionately called “Coug Day at the Capitol,” will bring together Cougs from all the WSU campuses to speak directly with legislators. ASWSUV will pay for 20 students to travel up on February 14th for a banquet with key legislators and for a chance to informally and formally make our case for an affordable education. These students will be staying in hotel rooms to wake the next day refreshed and ready to join with several hundred students from around the state to talk

with legislators on the steps of Capitol Hill. After another good night’s sleep, we will lobby more legislators before heading back to the Couv feeling empowered and accomplished in the early afternoon. Because we do not have

school February 15th for President’s Day, ASWSUV will bus an additional 40 students up for the day to join in the festivities. Spots are limited for this amazing opportunity to make a difference. There are only 11 spots left for the three-day extravaganza, however, and a few more for the one-day trip, so sign up in the ASWSUV offi ces by Friday, February 12th!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the rally and those who are already signed up to go to Olympia! We are making an impact! Until next issue—ONWARD and GO COUGS!

From the President

Nick Ferderer\ASWSUV President

Coug Day at the Capitol and other events

featured

This is your last week

to apply for elected posi-

tions and still be included

on the ballot. Hurry up!

Do you have what it takes to represent the student body and get involved with ASWSUV?

GET INVOLVED!Application Packets available in the office of student involvement.

Completed application due February 12th by 3:00PM in OSI.

Debate Schedule:

Wednesday February 24th in VUCB 1 2:00-4:00

Tuesday March 2nd in the Firstenburg commons 11:30-2:30

To learn more about ASWSUV and the elected positions please visit www.aswsuv.com

Questions about the upcoming election? Please email us at

aswsuv.electionboard@vancouver.wsu.edu

ASWSUV ELECTIONS

COMING SOON!!

Join the facebook group ASWSUV Elections 2010 for

the latest news about the election and updates.

Time is running out....

Positions open for:

1 President

1 Vice President

11 Senators

Public Affairs Lecture SeriesWashington State University Vancouver

Think.ThinkBIG.

STUDENT GOVERNMENT 9

2/12 Senate Meeting in VFSC 104 at 8 a.m.; Show up to voice your concerns or observe what the ASWSUV Senators are doing

Free Craft Night at WSUV on Jan. 26, 2010 provided a chance for everyone to be

an artist.The event, hosted by the

Associated Students of Washington State University (ASWSUV), took place in the Firstenburg Student Commons from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and attracted about 13 participants. The theme for this second Craft Night (the first was before Thanksgiving) was, “Make Your Own Magnets”. Backgrounds cut from scrapbooking paper were glued to flattened marbles, with a wide variety of different backgrounds provided for selection. Heavy-duty glue was used to affix the magnets to the marbles, after which the magnets were ready to be put on refrigerators for decoration.

According to Megan Henderson, the event assistant of ASWSUV who was in charge of the event, this second Craft Night didn’t take long to prepare. “The date for this craft night was put on the calendar of ASWSUV in the summer,”

Henderson said. “About a month ago, I picked out the theme, and then went shopping a week ago.” Though this Craft Night was held on a random day with no relation to any specific holiday, the next one will be part of the ASWSUV’s Earth Day events in April, “We will have terracotta pots that people can decorate and plant flower seeds in,” Henderson explained. “Everybody of all ages is welcome.”

The Craft Night on Jan. 26 attracted people that have rarely shown up for school events. Andrea Daniels, a new transfer student this semester, found a flyer about the event at the bowling night, the very first WSUV event that she attended. “This is a blast,” Daniels declared.” I enjoyed making magnets. Everybody should come to this.” Daniels also added that she would definitely attend future craft nights.

Derek Brown, an engineering student, found this event to be a great opportunity for him to express his artistic side, something his engineering program doesn’t often provide. “I was not going to come because of homework,” Brown said. “But I went anyway because I knew all the girls showed up at Craft Nights. I think the event was fun.”

Free craft night

Chau Nguyen\Student Involvement Editor

ASWSUV sponsors a craft night for students; next one near Earth Day

Chau Nguyen/The VanCougar

10 SPORTS AND RECREATION

2/9 Ski Bowl Night Skiing Trip Students $10 Non-students $15 Sign up by February 8th in the Recreation Office

The 268th matchup between the Washington State University and University

of Washington basketball teams was a tale of two halves for the Cougars. WSU lost the first of this season’s two “Apple Cup” games on Saturday, Jan. 30 at Hec Edmundson Pavilion in Seattle. Though the Cougars led by four points at half-time, the team was plagued by poor shooting, managing to score only 24 total points in the second half.

Like most in-state rivalry games, Saturday’s matchup was full of intensity, even before the game started. First year WSU head coach Ken Bone was coaching his first rivalry game against UW coach Lorenzo Romar, whom Bone was an assistant coach for with the Huskies from 2002-2005. Additionally, WSU guard and Seattle native Reggie Moore was playing against friend and UW guard Isaiah Thomas.

The game had an uneasy beginning for the Cougs as their first two possessions resulted in turnovers. But less than a minute into the game, Moore scored the first basket, giving WSU an early 2-0 lead.

Sophomore guard Klay Thompson, the Cougs’ leading scorer, did not start in the game as punishment for being 15 minutes late for the bus from Pullman to Seattle. Though Thompson began the game on the bench, he quickly came in after only two minutes were played in the first half.

The start of the game was a good shooting performance for WSU, as they converted four of their first six shots as a team, including back to back three-pointers by guards Xavier Thames and Nikola Koprivica. In contrast, the Huskies made only one of their first seven

shots. After five minutes played in the first half, the Cougs had an 11 point lead over the Huskies, 14-3.

UW cut WSU’s lead to just four points though after guard Elston Turner converted a three-pointer, making the score 14-10. In response, Koprivica, WSU’s leader in three-point percentage, shot his third three-pointer of the game to increase WSU’s lead to seven points.

The Huskies answered with a 6-0 run with seven minutes remaining in the half to shrink the Cougar’s lead to just three points at 25-22. With about four minutes remaining in the first half, Thames fouled UW leading scorer and forward Quincy Pondexter. The two players traded shoves, which resulted in offsetting

technical fouls for both players. As a result of the first foul, Pondexter was awarded free throws. He made one of the two free throws to give the game its first tie at 28-28.

Both teams traded leads and with 50 seconds remaining in the first half, Thompson made a three-pointer, his first field goal of the game, to put the

Cougs up 38-34. Thames helped add to the lead by making a jumper with only two seconds remaining in the half, leaving WSU leading UW 40-36. Despite having nine turnovers in the first half, the Cougs’ 44 percent field goal percentage helped them to end the first half ahead. By comparison, the Huskies shot only 33 percent from the field for the half.

Unfortunately for WSU, the second half was a different story. As a result of his poor shooting performance, Thompson did not start the second half. After only two minutes in, UW had already committed four fouls as a team. UW forward Tyreese Breshers fouled WSU guard Marcus Capers as he attempted a shot. Capers made one of his two free throws

to increase WSU’s lead to five at 41-36.

From that point forward, the Cougs’ lead would quickly evaporate. The Huskies responded with a 15-0 run to put their team ahead by 10 points at 51-41, leaving WSU unable to overcome the deficit.

The Cougs did not convert their first field goal of the second half until forward DeAngelo Casto made a layup seven minutes into the half. By the middle of the second half, WSU had made only one of their 15 shots from the field, while UW had made eight of 14 shots.

With about two minutes left in the game, UW had their biggest lead of the game at 29 points, with the score 90-61. UW won by a final score of 92-64. The

Cougs were hurt by only shooting about 22 percent from the field in the second half and about 53 percent from the free throw line for the game. Usual leading scorer Thompson only scored seven points for the game. Bright spots for WSU were Thames who scored 15 points and Koprivica and Moore who each scored 13 points.

WSU starts strong; fails second half

The Super Bowl is arguably America’s greatest sporting event. Each year

millions tune in to watch the two best teams from their respective conferences—the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC)—meet on the field, though, admittedly, some of those millions are more interested in the commercials, the most expensive (and usually the most creative) that air in America.

While personally happy that it’s Super Bowl time again, I’m anything but thrilled about the National Football League’s decision to host the annual Pro Bowl a week before the main event.

For those who don’t know, the Pro Bowl is the football equivalent to the National Basketball Association’s All-Star game or baseball’s All-Star game, all of which take place in their respective mid seasons. Granted, the scheduling is somewhat understandable. Compared to the other two major American sports, football is more taxing on the body. Professional football is only played once a week, making it virtually impossible to host an All-Star game in the middle of the season.

Still, since 1980 the Pro Bowl has been played after the Super Bowl and in Honolulu, Hawaii allowing the players to get a vacation that is well deserved, especially those that had just participated in the big game. This year, because of the schedule shift, the 14 players selected from the two Super Bowl teams won’t be allowed to participate.

Now I know the Pro Bowl really has no real significance; it just allows fans to see a great collection of talent, plus the players get to enjoy some Waikiki training. Sure, winning the Super Bowl is the greatest achievement in football, but being selected by the fans to participate in

the Pro Bowl is special in its own right. So it’s grossly unfair to the ones unable to participate this year.

Still, I wish that was all I have to complain about. That the Pro Bowl has been moved to Miami is another big letdown, as, let’s face it, it isn’t exactly a city of cool trade winds and an aloha philosophy.

I’m not the only person that is irritated by the move. The players themselves have expressed mixed feelings about Miami. “I like Hawaii a lot better,” Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison said. San Diego tight end Antonio Gates commented saying,”Hawaii is considered kind of a vacation, a lot of these guys are from Florida, and a lot of people come to Florida on a regular basis.” Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis said it best when he went on record showing is frustration with the move to Miami saying, “That’s no vacation. That’s what we regularly do. You don’t want to go to the Pro Bowl and do what you regularly do. You want to come over and do something different. You want to tour the islands and bring the kids over to see something different.” Lewis played college football for the University of Miami and spends part of his off-season at the Miami facility preparing for the new NFL season so for the Pro Bowl being moved to Miami is hardly an adventure.

Gripes aside, I have to admit that I enjoyed watching the Pro Bowl this year. It had some shining moments. The AFC won a narrow victory edging out the NFC with a final score of 41-34. Matt Shaub, the quarterback for the Huston Texans, won the Most Valuable Player Award going 13 for 17. He also threw from 189 yards and threw for two touchdowns. The always enjoyable Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco preformed double duty, allowing fans to see him play the role of kicker and defensive back, as well as play a little receiver. Overall I enjoyed the game, but I’m still irritated. Next year, supposedly, the Pro Bowl will be moved back to its rightful place in Honolulu. I hope for the players’ sake that it is. If you want to talk sports or give me feedback you can e-mail be at daniel.barrette@email.wsu.edu.

The Irritated SportsfanThe Super Bowl is

America but the Pro Bowl’s timing is off

Daniel Barrette/Sports Writer

Amy Thielen/Staff Writer

Sloppy second half hurts Cougs: 92-64 loss

VANCOUGAR.NING.COM

“Diets of the Stars,” “Lose 20 pounds in Two Weeks,” “Lose

a Pants Size in One Weekend” Are any of these headlines sounding familiar? According to my grocery store check

out line, I don’t really have to eat well or exercise to have the svelte body of a model or actress: all I have to do is eat cabbage soup before

every meal, take a pill or two, or even rub some cream on my thighs. I am not one to buy in to every craze that comes across but I have wondered many times if there wasn’t an easier way to have six-pack abs. There is a plain and simple answer to that: No.

When starting any fitness endeavor it is important to set goals for yourself that are S.M.A.R.T. S.M.A.R.T. goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. Do you want to lose weight? Increase your strength? Have more flexibility and balance? Increase your endurance? These are all great goals. How will you measure your goal? It is important to have something to strive for: this is not the time to be vague on what it is that you want to accomplish. Your goals should also be realistic and have a specific time frame.

I have combined two for my purposes of the Fitness Challenge. I would like to lose weight and work on my endurance. It is my hope that at the conclusion of the fitness challenge (but not my column) that I will have lost 15 pounds and can jog an entire mile without stopping. These may not appear to be lofty goals to some of you, however, but the only person who has to reach my goal is me and as a converted couch surfer this is a huge step. As much as I would love to lose my overall goal of 65 pounds before bikini season arrives, that is not going to happen by the end of the challenge or even by this summer. However, it is excellent to set benchmark goals in order to mark progress on your way to an overall goal. Not only does it make you feel good about what you are doing it allows you to see if you have set a realistic overall goal. It is completely acceptable to re-evaluate your goals at any time and adjust them if you need.

So small goals build into medium goals that tie into your overall goals. In other words, slow and steady is how to win the race when making a lifestyle change. That being said I would like to address NBC’s show, “Biggest Loser.” It is remarkable the amount of weight that the participants lose on a weekly basis. In fact, if I could lose 15+ pounds a week I would be thrilled! However, most of the contestants are at a life or death situation. Without a drastic weight-loss, most of them are dealing with health problems that could (and typically will) be life ending. They have no other recourse than to lose the weight and lose it right now. I applaud their efforts and wish all of them great success. However, this is not an ideal situation for a person like myself who wants to make a lifestyle change.

According to my trainer-coach, Neil, a realistic weekly weight loss goal is approximately two pounds. Why so little? Exercise not only

burns calories but it also builds muscle. As far as the old wives’ tale that muscle weighs more than fat, just remember a pound of fat and a pound of muscle weigh exactly the same: a pound. So as you exercise, you are building up you muscles that will help you burn that stubborn fat. Don’t get discouraged if the scale goes up sometimes, it just means that you body is preparing itself for weight loss that is about to come!

Motivation is the key ingredient for obtaining your goals. It is easy to get discouraged or even have setbacks. The important thing is to not give up! If you miss a day, go tomorrow! Had some ice cream? Me too! Just don’t keep binging because you gave in a little. Tomorrow is a whole new day and you are on the path for a whole new you! Join my for the next issue where I will take the opportunity to talk to you about motivation and appropriate methods of rewarding yourself.

Almost HotSpring Marie Atkinson/

Contributing Writer

Photo credit/Michael Hatch

SPORTS AND RECREATION 11

2/11 Basketball Open Play @ Alki Middle School 8 p.m to 10 p.m 2/19-2/21 Mount Bachelor Ski Trip

“Chancellor’s Award for Student Achievement”

Due: March 1, 2010

Nominate a worthy, graduating student now!

Criteria for selection includes: • Academic achievement and love of learning

• Perseverance in academic pursuits despite personal or situational barriers

• Educational/personal growth while at WSU Vancouver

• Future potential to profession/community• Service to WSU Vancouver

Please nominate the student that best embodies the criteria listed above. Return nomination forms to the Offi ce of Development

and Alumni Relations, ADM Room 214 or email Lindsay Herling, Awards Committee Chair, lherling@vancouver.wsu.edu by 5:00 pm,

Monday, March 1, 2010.

In future years, as the Vancouver campus of Washington State University grows larger, it is

possible that sports will grow more popular. For now, the school is more of a satellite/commuter university than anything else. Since the school is small, why is it that it does not have any of the zanier, wackier sports that micro-communities possess?

Take, for example, Cheese Rolling. This sport takes place in Gloucestershire, England, on Cooper’s Hill every Spring Bank Holiday. A round of Double Gloucester rolls down the conclave incline, chased by the participants. Back in the days of optimism, the competitors attempted to catch the cheese. Since the cheese has a head start of one second and can reach speeds of 70 miles per hour, the winning conditions changed to the winner being required to cross a fi nish line fi rst. Competitors from Australia, Ireland, and various English counties attended. The races are not restricted to downhill and there are uphill races between the traditional downhill rounds. It is by no means an elitist sport or confi ned to one age group. The 2009 May 25th gathering boasted at least one runner of 62 years old. There is also a section for children aged twelve and under. Participants have been known to receive injuries more often then not. Concussions and dislocations are not unheard of in the mad dash and tumbles down the hill. Even with the element of danger, it is apparent from description that such a zany sport builds a strong sense of community. Imagine: a massive round of Cougar Gold trundling down the side of the WSUV hill with a hundred starving

university students in pursuit. The hill runners might fi nd a little competition.

For those who dislike cheese, they might enjoy Man vs. Horse. A product of an idle chat over a drink, this game pits human runners against horses in a marathon. The course is set in mid-Wales and the terrain consists of moorland, farm tracks, and forestry trails. Hills feature heavily as well and every contestant who fi nishes will have ascended a total of 3000 feet in elevation. Anyone who might fi nd it ridiculous must take into account that it is a game with very recent origins, dating back to 1980. In 2005, the fi rst human champion Huw Lobb managed to beat the horse by two minutes. This might take a little modifi cation. Instead of running over moors and forest trails, participants could run from WSU-V to Kell’s Irish Pub during 5:00. This race would commemorate the fi nest traditions of getting through rush hour traffi c, especially if the course took all participants and horses through the Delta Park exit.

Cyclists and snorkeling enthusiasts are not often mentioned within the same breath. Invented by another citizen of Wales to increase local business, Bog biking combines both. Bog snorkeling, an associated event, consists of donning the mask and fl ippers to traverse an 18 yard trench twice without traditional swimming strokes. This trench is cut through a peat bog, which fi lls with thick muddy water. Bog biking is another vision of the fi rst, contestants wearing snorkels and biking under the surface from end of the trench the other and back again. The wheels are weighted to keep the bike from fl oating. WSU-V does not have any bogs but it does have a duck pond. Surely environmentalists would set their protests aside in favor of the advance of sports and international society studies?

Weird Worldly Sports

Erik Cummings\Sports Editor

A few wacky sports WSU-V could adopt

Pullman Updates

Track and Field -- COUGARS HEAD TO MOSCOW FOR

PAIR OF INDOOR MEETS: The Washington State track and fi eld teams only need to travel eight miles this weekend to compete in a pair of meets at the University of Idaho Kibbie Dome...Friday, Feb. 5 will be the 35th Annual Vandal Indoor meet. Discus throw is at 11 a.m. with the other fi eld events slated to being at 5 p.m. Running events begin at 6 p.m. Runners Soul Open meet is Saturday, Feb. 6, with racing beginning at 9 a.m. and fi eld events beginning at 9:30 a.m. Both meets are in the Kibbie Dome and there is a $5 charge for spectators. Complete results will be posted at www.wsucougars.com, when available.

USTFCCCA NCAA DI NATIONAL TEAM RANKINGS: The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Feb. 2 rankings list the Washington State men’s team No. 25, down from 121st last week...Texas A&M men’s and women’s teams are No. 1. WSU women are not ranked in the top 25 but are 91st. USTFCCCA national rankings are a prediction of how teams and individuals will place at the 2010 NCAA Div. I Indoor Championships, March 12-13, Fayetteville, Ark...Pac-10 schools joining WSU (No. 21 men) are Oregon (No. 3 men, No. 2 women), Arizona State (No. 8 men), Stanford (No. 10 men), California (no. 16 men), Arizona (No. 23 men, No. 16 women) and Washington (No. 18 women)...next ranking will be published February 9. REGIONAL TEAM RANKINGS: New this season, the USTFCCCA is “scoring” nine award regions using current national-team ranking formulas. Regional team index is best used to fi nd a team’s all-around team strength, whereas the national-team rankings are taken in context with national championship where it takes a few very elite athletes to score well...in the fi rst regional rankings, the Cougar men are listed fi fth in the West Region (after Arizona, Oregon, Stanford and Arizona State) and the WSU women are fourth (after Oregon, Stanford and Arizona)...these rankings can be found at www.ustfccca.org.

USTFCCCA NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS: New this season, the USTFCCCA is “scoring” nine award regions using current national-team ranking formulas. Regional team index is best used to fi nd a team’s all-around strength, as it takes many athletes in many events to yield a high score, whereas the national-team rankings are taken in context with national championship where it takes a few very elite athletes to score well. In the fi rst regional rankings, the Cougar men are listed fi fth in the West Region (after Arizona, Oregon, Stanford and Arizona State) and the WSU women are fourth (after Oregon, Stanford and Arizona). These rankings can be found at www.ustfccca.org.

Women’s Basketball -- FIRST GLANCE: The

Washington State women’s basketball team begins its second run through the Pacifi c-10 Conference, travelling to Tucson, Ariz., to take on Arizona, Thursday (Feb. 4). Tip-off between the Cougars and Wildcats is scheduled for 6 p.m. (PT) at McKale Center.

The Cougars (5-15, 0-9 Pac-10) are looking for their fi rst conference victory, while the Wildcats (8-10, 3-5 Pac-10) are in the midst of a three-game slide.

WSU will close out this week’s action with Arizona State, Saturday (Feb. 6). Tip-off between the Cougars and Sun Devils is scheduled for noon (PT), and the game will be televised live by FSN.

LISTEN: Fans can listen to the game live on KQQQ 1150 AM and on translator 105.3 FM in Pullman/Moscow, or at wsucougars.com. Steve Grubbs has the call live from Tucson.

CLOSE CONFERENCE GAMES: Although the Cougars are 0-9 in the Pacifi c-10 Conference, they have held second-half leads in a majority of their league games. WSU has held second-half leads in seven of the team’s eight conference games, including fi ve leads with less than 10 minutes remaining and three with less than four minutes on the clock. The Cougars’ most recent loss came to Washington in overtime (76-70).

FORCING TURNOVERS: The Cougars entered this week leading the conference and ranking 22nd-nationally in turnover margin, forcing 4.85 more turnovers per game than committing.

THE SERIES: Arizona won the previous meeting this season 67-60 in Pullman (Jan. 7), and has posted wins in each of the last two games. However, the Cougars, who trail 21-27 in the all-time series, have won each of the last two games played in Tucson. WSU is 10-13 when playing on the road.

Women’s Swimming -- 2009-10 OUTLOOK: This year’s squad returns 13 letterwinners including school record holders Michaela Ahlin (100 butterfl y, 200 butterfl y, 400 IM), Rugile Mileisyte (50 freestyle, 100 freestyle) and Talor Whitaker (200 IM)...the team has also welcomed seven new freshmen.

LAST SEASON: The Cougars fi nished the season with a 6-2 dual meet record after opening the season with a 6-0 start, which included a win over BSU...the undefeated start was Quam’s career best and one win away from tying the program best start of 7-0 (1978, Pipher)...Quam also became the fi rst WSU head coach to have three 4-0 starts in her career...over the course of last season the Cougars se 26 school records in 14 different events with 20 of those performances coming at the Pacifi c-10 Conference Championships...Michaela Ahlin, Rugile Mileisyte and Elyse Peterson represented WSU at the NCAA Championships the most in school history.

FITNESS CENTER

HoursM-Th : 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.Friday: 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sat-Sun: Closed

Equipment

Ellipticals & Tread-mills

Free WeightsLeg Presses, Exten-

sion, & Curl machinesMedicine balls &

Yoga matsStrength bands &

jump ropes

Policy

Fitness center is free to all WSUV students,

faculty, and staff. Must sign liability

waiver. Bring Fitness Center card each visit.

Trainer

A certifi ed personal trainer is available to Fitness Center users at no cost. Develop a fi tness plan, learn how to use the equipment, or develop strength for a specifi c sport

or activity. The sessions are free. Get fi t! Stay fi t!

“Chancellor’s Award for Student Achievement”

Due: March 1, 2010

Nominate a worthy, graduating student now!

Criteria for selection includes: • Academic achievement and love of learning• Perseverance in academic pursuits despite

personal or situational barriers• Educational/personal growth while at WSU

Vancouver• Future potential to profession/community

• Service to WSU Vancouver

Please nominate the student that best embodies the criteria listed above. Return nomination forms to the Offi ce of Development

and Alumni Relations, ADM Room 214 or email Lindsay Herling, Awards Committee Chair, lherling@vancouver.wsu.edu by 5:00 pm,

Monday, March 1, 2010.

12 ARTS, CULTURE, AND ENTERTAINMENT

2/18 A-Z of Financial Aid and Scholarships Workshop in VADM 110 at 7 p.m.; Free and open to the public

Girls! Girls! Girls!

Keep it local on Valentine’s Day. Why buy the same old box of waxy

chocolates that you always do at some corporate chain when you don’t h a v e far to go at all to fi nd some

of the best

handmade chocolates around? Alma Chocolate is a divine little shop located in NE Portland that has turned the practice of crafting chocolates into an art form. They use only the fi nest local and organic ingredients in their confections, which make for some truly delectable delights.

Alma also offers quite a unique alternative to the usual truffl e with their expensive selection of drinking chocolates. The Bicerin is a decadent blend of sweet espresso, rich drinking chocolate and hand shaken cream.

Guaranteed to send a warm shiver

down your spine as it runs d o w n y o u r throat .

Another e q u a l l y as exotic o p t i o n , T h e Carmelita, combines

A l m a ’ s H a b a n e r o

C a r a m e l sauce with

s t e a m e d milk and

melted

chocolate. For your spicy side, this one has a real kick. A large selection of taste tempting truffl es are available to choose from as well including the Rosewater Caramel, Thai Peanut Butter Cup and the Bourbon Bon Bon to name just a few. Each fl avor is truly a unique experience!

While you are on the hunt for treats, Sahagun Chocolate shop on NW 16th Avenue in Portland is just as tempting as Alma. To boast offerings of bittersweet Dio de los Muertos Chocolate Skulls is only the beginning! You’ll fi nd bittersweet truffl es bursting with sunfl ower seed butter and raw blackberry honey, gourmet drinking chocolates, and Organic Oregon hazelnut inspired delectables. Here chocolate is meant to be treated with reverence and returned to it’s former glory as morsels fi t for the gods. Since Sahagun’s early beginnings at the Portland Farmer’s Market, local ingredients are an old standby, borrowing the fl avors of the much loved Marion Berries of Sauvie Island, Sundance Farm’s Hidcote lavender, Sour Cherries from the Willamette Valley and of course the divine coffees of Stumptown. It will be a big night out for your palette. Something you won’t soon forget once the fragrant harmonies of Elizabeth Monte, culinary artist and creator of Sahagun’s treasures fall upon your lips.

Treat yourself or your loved one to an exciting alternative to the same old boring cookie cutter box of chocolates this year. You’ll fi nd that quality over quantity can be very refreshing!

Looking for love this holiday

I recently had the pleasure of watching myself as a 5-year old kindergartener. My

former teacher tracked me down and mailed me a DVD of all the video she had shot of my class in my hometown of New Jersey. How she got my address I have no idea, and I must admi, it’s a little unnerving to think about the information one can get if they really try. Still, I was fl attered and watched the whole 2 hours. Admittedly, most of it was painfully boring: rows of multicolored children sitting straight backed in their plastic chairs, their ‘80s’ outfi ts and hairstyles unconvincingly comfortable, simultaneously barking monotone Christmas and Hanukkah songs, as if there were pointed guns and rabid dogs just feet behind the camera to keep us in line should one of us forgot the words.

When we did gather in more unrestricted groups, I was always in the back, indecipherably quiet, and exhibiting a plethora of tics whenever I was asked a question or pulled onto scary Santa’s bulging lap. The video went through holiday activity after holiday activity because, apparently, that’s what society deems worthy of remembering and, hence, videotaping. Children are taught that it’s the “special days” that matter; it’s

the holidays that are used to mark the passage of time on this earth. Forget about the banal everyday bus rides, the excruciating process of learning to read and write, or the vulnerability of making friends.

So the video went from a somber single-fi le Halloween parade around a slab of concrete that we called a “playground”, to our entire class

staring blank faced at the camera

w e a r i n g i d e n t i c a l

construction paper Pilgrim Hats

for Thanksgiving, to the endless consumer-centric Christmas celebrations. Each scene was dominated by two prominent colors that were to be seared into our young minds, and which would later elicit a Pavlovian-like nostalgic response when seeing these base hues as adults: black and orange, yellow and brown, the hideous green and red.

But then comes Valentine’s Day. Red and pink plastic hearts are stuck to the frosty windows, red and pink

construction paper hearts are stuck to the cinderblock school walls. There’s no myths, no songs, no formalized set of guidelines to keep us in place. Instead, it’s a day of crafts and candy, of telling people you truly like them or maybe even love them. It was by far, my favorite holiday, and still is.

Instead of being on guard, watchful, and obedient, I saw my 5-year-old self suddenly full of life and light. I’m standing up, running around the room, cutting out my little red and pink hearts, gluing them together with fi lthy hands, and

showing them off to everyone in class. I jump back and

forth between excitedly talking to the other 5-year-olds and being totally immersed in my creations. My nervous habits have evaporated without a

trace and for once I am smiling. Maybe it was the

non-conformity of it all that allowed me to be set free from my

tense, solitary world. I mean, yes, there is a lot of conformity to the holiday (the set colors and shapes for one thing). But compared to all the other holiday demands and instructions (“sit!, stand!, sing!, now everyone will make a pumpkin, now everyone will make a turkey”), I felt like I genuinely connected with Valentine’s Day. It was a simple idea that I understood and felt good about celebrating: Love. It was a DIY holiday, with no set schedule of events, no ritual songs or dance , and it let me feel free to be myself, to give, and love.

Triana Collins/ACE Editor

chocolate and hand shaken cream. Guaranteed to send

a warm shiver down your

spine as it runs d o w n y o u r throat .

Another e q u a l l y as exotic o p t i o n , T h e Carmelita, combines

A l m a ’ s H a b a n e r o

C a r a m e l sauce with

s t e a m e d milk and

melted

Admittedly, most of it was painfully boring: rows of multicolored children sitting straight backed in their plastic chairs, their ‘80s’ outfi ts and hairstyles unconvincingly comfortable, simultaneously barking monotone Christmas and Hanukkah songs, as if there were pointed guns and rabid

i d e n t i c a l

construction paper Pilgrim Hats

for Thanksgiving, to the endless consumer-centric Christmas celebrations. Each scene was

showing them off to everyone in class. I jump back and

forth between excitedly talking to the other 5-year-olds and being

allowed me to be set free from my tense, solitary world. I mean, yes, there is a lot of conformity to the

Local chocolate leads the way

Christina Broussard-Pearson/ Contributing Writer

Forever my favorite dayValentine’s Day and

its place in the world

Dear Sexpert,I think my girlfriend is a wonderful

person, and quite beautiful. The problem is that she doesn’t. In fact, my girlfriend is extremely self-conscious. I want her to know that she is beautiful, and I want her to feel better about herself. What can I do to help her feel better about her body?

--Kind of like Darcy

Dear Darcy,Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,

unfortunately, with societal and media fueled images, beauty is constantly being distorted. Sometimes, when a person feels like they cannot fi t into that ever narrowing mold of what beauty is they can begin to feel depressed by how they see themselves. These outside pressures to not only look attractive, but look a certain type of attractive are probably some of the reasons that your girlfriend feels so badly about her body. Unfortunately, these societal forces that permeate our culture are extremely hard to combat. Some people have had to ignore them. Others reject them completely or attempt to love themselves despite these media images. Still more fi nd themselves trying to fi t these images, even at extremely drastic costs.

Take, for example, the recent media buzz about Heidi Montag. Heidi Montag is what some have termed a faux-celebrity. She got her start on the television program Laguna Beach, and became famous through the spin off The Hills. Heidi was arguably attractive when she started off in reality TV. However, she soon went under the plastic surgery knife to “improve” her nose, breasts and lips. After those surgeries, Heidi exploded onto the media scene, beginning a “music” career and doing stunts with now-husband Spencer Pratt to attract media attention.

So here was a woman who was at least conventionally pretty. Some may say she looked a little plastic, but she defi nitely fell into Hollywood standards of what was considered attractive.

Then, in November 2009, Heidi underwent ten additional plastic surgery procedures in one day. She then gave interviews to several media outlets explaining her reasons for going under the knife. Heidi claimed that she never felt good about the way she looked and was trying to improve herself—to fi nd her “best self”. How could a 23-year-old woman that was already beautiful feel the need to go through life-threatening surgeries to become even more “beautiful”? It is a question that has baffl ed many people, but for our purposes Montag’s story

sheds light on how and why your girlfriend may be feeling the way she does. If women like Heidi Montag and other celebrities feel the pressure to improve themselves, think how this must affect other women (and I won’t even go into how men are beginning to feel just as pressured to achieve a sculpted, fl awless Adonis look).

I am explaining all of this to you because this is the foe that you will have to face when trying to make your girlfriend feel better about her body. Well, this and any childhood or traumatic moments in her past that she may have had that might have related to her body. It is by no means an easy task, but you should not be disheartened. I’m sure that your girlfriend wants to feel better about her body just as much as you want her to, if not more. And she is lucky, she has someone who accepts her and thinks she is a beautiful person. Having someone like you may be the push her body confi dence needs to get headed in the right direction.

When she realizes that most people do not value her for just her body and that quite a few people would value her for her body, she should begin to feel better about her body and become more confi dent when it comes to her beauty.

One of the best things you can do for your girlfriend is to let her know that she is beautiful. It is also important for you to be sincere in this message. You can try telling her what you love about her, things that are related to her physical appearance and things that are not.

Another thing you might try is talking to her about her body image, asking her why she is self conscious about her body and asking her what you can do to help. Be forewarned though, this is probably going to be a very heavy conversation, and your girlfriend may not want to talk about it. If she has never brought up the subject of how she feels about her body, then you may not even want to approach the subject. Or, the next time she says something bad about her body, try not immediately trying to quell her fears. Instead, ask her why she said that. You may get her to pause, think on it a moment, and realize that it’s either not true or that there is no reason to have all the negative body talk going on. It may also open up a larger conversation where you will need to be there for her, so be prepared. Whatever happens, I wish you luck, and I really hope you can help her realize that she is a beautiful person. -The SEXpert

The SEXpertSally Thrall/Campus News Editor

ARTS, CULTURE, AND ENTERTAINMENT 13

2/18 Public Affairs Lecture Series Presents: Allan C. Carlson, Ph.D. @ Fort Vancouver High School Auditorium; $10; @ 7:30 p.m.

Girls! Girls! Girls!

2/18 Public Affairs Lecture Series Presents: Allan C. Carlson, Ph.D. @ Fort Vancouver High School Auditorium; $10; @ 7:30 p.m.

It was a rainy Saturday night. I went to Portland’s Brody Theatre, ordered a drink

(I’ve been really into Irish coffees these days), and took a seat. Seven females got up on stage. One by one, they started to strip their souls of the everyday blandness. One by one, they transformed into stars and made me laugh (and feel a little uncomfortable) in the process.

Girls! Girls! Girls! is the latest all female improv comedy troupe at the Brody Theatre. Tips from the audience are turned into mini skits of about 3 to 5 minutes in length that zoom by at attention defi cit order speed. When it seems like a scenario is getting a little dry, a woman on the sidelines swoops in and adds an extra character to the mix or switches it all together. Words like ‘banana’, ‘high chair’, and ‘forgiveness’ are yelled

out of the audience and given new meaning onstage in comical situations featuring dirty word spelling bees, neighborhood bans on peanut butter, anti-abortion demonstrators, and violent middle school sleepovers.

To balance all the humor, every so often a completely true story is told from one of the cast members. Thinking on the banana tip, a woman told stories of her new baby’s eating habits and her body’s amazing ability to function on 5 hours of sleep a night for the past year. The forgiveness tip yielded an incredibly creepy story of a woman’s deranged stalker who broke into her house and is now locked up forever. Having to fi gure out how to forgive this crazy man who had been elaborately planning on killing her was defi nitely one of the strangest stories I had heard in a while.

Girls! Girls! Girls! will be playing February 20 and 27th at 8pm and is only $7 with your student ID. For more information, check out brodytheatre.com.

RadioRadio

Sure, He’s Just Not That Into You does not seem like the

type of movie to watch on Valentine’s Day. The title is the fi rst aspect that makes you go, “huh? Why would a movie basically telling women that no guy likes you unless he’s making all the moves be a movie to watch on the day of love?” Well, that’s the question I’m here to answer.

He’s Just Not That Into You is a movie that acts as a guide to women, and in some scenes men, to know when a guy is into a women or not. Well there isn’t just one story to emphasize the purpose of helping people with relationships but many to pin point out specifi c situations. There is the classic desperate woman looking for someone now, the women who’s with a man who won’t marry her, the women who’s with the unfaithful man, and then, of course for this day and age, the woman who’s trying to meet a guy through technology such

as myspace. While some situations work, others are a little more diffi cult to handle.

You’re probably still wondering why this movie is great for Valentine’s Day. Well, here’s why. He’s Just Not

That Into You can reach to the people who dislike Valentine’s Day and to those who love it. For those who hate Valentine’s Day, they get a movie where most of it is dropping hints about relationships not working and

then a couple story endings that don’t necessarily end bad, but they don’t end up with a fairytale ending either. And for those who love Valentine’s Day, He’s Just Not That Into You is great because it does have a feel-good ending that leaves the audience in high spirits and some with optimism about love. And that is exactly why I love this movie. Even when I am down, this movie makes me feel good when I fi nish it. And I’m sure many others feel the same too.

He’s Just Not That Into You

Anaya Martella/Staff Writer

Triana Collins/ACE Editor

Unplugged and Onstage

Many students may recognize Mason O’Lennick as the stylish Mechnical/Electrical Engineer major known for his

involvement with the WSU ambassadors. How could you not notice this walking trend setter? If you haven’t noticed him, it’s probably because he maintains a busy schedule every day between classes and his role as lead student ambassador. But how does he fi nd the time to look so tasteful?

He sports a friendly face and a clean cut look that catches the attention of many passing by. On a typical day, O’Lennick says he usually reaches for a plaid shirt and some denim, particularly leaning towards hues of blue. These articles of clothing are always handy, as he explains that you can never go wrong with a clean-cut look.

However, O’Lennick changes his style depending on the day and what is on his personal agenda. On a school day, he says he tends to be somewhat style-conscious and is “aware of what’s cool to an extent.” But on weekends he follows a casual look that is, in his personal opinion, one that leans towards laziness. It’s hard to imagine trending O’Lennick as lazy. Yet

when he has plans to leave the house on weekends, the laziness gets shelved for a look with more effort behind it.

For a dressy event he enjoys pairing euro-cut pants with a nicely fi tted dress shirt and tie. On the other hand, for a casual event O’Lennick never strays from his comfortable plaid shirts and nicely tailored denim. Despite the occasion, he makes an effort to walk in shoes that stand out but that do not scream “look at me”.

This cougar says he puts “minimal to moderate effort” into each outfi t, but also gains help, whether he wants to or not, from his sister and fellow Coug, Danielle. O’Lennick says some days he will strut downstairs with a blue plaid shirt, printed tee, denim, and casual shoes, and will receive immediate style counseling from his sister, such as, “I don’t like the way those patterns match”. Occasionally such criticism makes him like the outfi t even more.

Mason O’Lennick is a hard working student that somehow fi nds the time to strike a good dress balance between casual and chic. Perhaps he has an eye for fashion (or maybe it’s the secret smirks from his sister). Either way, his look works. For many males, fashion is not prominent in their lifestyles (in case you haven’t noticed). But O’Lennick proves you can be a manly, hard worker and also look fresh to appeal to the ladies. O’Lennick’s advice to others: “always have a clean-cut look!”

Brenda Yahm/Staff Writer

Quick style tips for busy guys

Trending with Mason

Girls! Girls! Girls!

Portland Theatre reviewGirls! Girls! Girls! Before you go see,

Valentine’s Day, watch this � ick

14 OPINIONS AND EDITORIALS

2/17 Stress Management Workshop in VFSC 104 at 3:00 p.m.; Free and open to current students. More info in SRC

Leola Dublin is setting a record in WSU’s graduate program in

Women’s Studies. When she started her graduate program at WSU in Pullman, someone told her no one had ever completed the PhD in four years. Leola said, “Fine, I’ll do it.” “That’s typical of me,” Leola continues. “I’m really competitive, and I set ridiculously high and unrealistic, maybe even insane, goals for myself. That goal wasn’t about anybody else. It’s just that it hadn’t been done before.”

As valedictorian and senior class president at University of the District of Columbia, she spoke at the commencement exercises in the Verizon Center in D.C., home court of the Washington Wizards. “I glanced up at the JumboTron above the center of the court and saw my face on that huge screen,” Leola remembers. “Then I looked back down at my notes, really fast.”

Shortly after arriving at WSU in Pullman, Leola had a similar experience when she was asked to speak at the WSU Foundation at the Davenport Hotel in Spokane. “As I was talking to all those millionaire alumni, I wondered what I was doing there,” says Leola. “But I got through it by focusing on what’s important: that I may be able to help someone’s life change for the better.”

She’s glad she could come to the Vancouver campus to fi nish her PhD because she feels more of a connection with the students here than in Pullman. There, Leola was very strict about class attendance, but she knows students at the Vancouver campus have different needs.

Leola cares for the students in the classes she teaches at WSUV, English 101 and English 202/304, as whole humans. “Someone may not come to class because they have to tend a sibling who’s having a snow day, Leola maintains. “Their lives are completely different from the lives of the typical Pullman student. These students are at a very vulnerable age. So I fuss at them all the time to be careful. I tell them I love them. I tell them, ‘I will be devastated if something happens to you over the weekend.’”

Her philosophy of teaching comes in part from Paulo Freire’s “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” but also from her unique background of growing up Muslim and Black in a largely white, Jewish neighborhood. “This informs my insistence on seeing students as individuals, not with broader labels—and my attitude of being humble enough to be taught by students, as well as teaching them.”

For her PhD research, Leola is generating a theoretical framework for exploring the lives of Black adolescent girls. “Girls’ studies in the U.S. focus on white, middle-class girls,” Leola states. “Even Black feminist theory doesn’t talk about Black girls. Contemporary U.S. society tends to view adolescents,

women, and racial minorities as a problem, which means that Black adolescent girls are triply implicated.”

Leola believes that, “there is an area where Black feminist studies and girls’ studies overlap,” and Leola’s dissertation uses the literature from these two areas to study Black adolescent girls’ lived experiences, while celebrating the richness of these experiences.

Leola’s writing, like her teaching, doesn’t fi t the standard academic mold. “I don’t do academese,” she says. “I could, but why would I want to? My writing is always accessible.”

Leola’s overriding goal is to help change people’s lives and communities for the better, and she does it through teaching and writing. “I started out wanting to do non-profi t work,” she says, “but I’ve realized that I can still work in my own community. You can do good in your own back yard.”

Leola Dublin: Women’s Studies

Quick Profi le

Family: “I’m from a family of educators, I have four younger brothers, and I’m the shortest (and poorest) person in the family.”Education: B.S. from University of the District of Columbia, working on PhD from WSUV Advice: “Get your bachelor’s degree, develop good writing skills, and become computer literate. I caution students who are thinking of graduate school to do their research and some serious soul-searching about their motives, because the reality is far from what they’re expecting.” Quote: “You can do good in your own back yard.”Favorite color: Blue! My toenails are always blue…Favorite footwear: Black boots with red and gold fl amesFavorite dessert: Haagen Dazs Five Flavors Ginger Ice CreamFavorite music and musicians: I like all kinds. Right now my MP3 has Michael Jackson, the Commodores, Pink, Lady Gaga, and George Winston.Favorite movie: “Slumdog Millionaire”Formative book: “Pedagogy of the Oppressed,” by Paulo FreireTeam sport: Played on a women’s ice hockey team at WSU Pullman (Comment: “It’s not like riding a bike. You do forget.”)I like sleeping.I don’t like snow or roller coasters.If I could live anywhere: I’d live somewhere warm, near the water.

The VanCougar is a student-run newspaper serving the students, faculty and staff of

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So I heard you guys like my COUGokus, also known as just

handmade Sudoku puzzles. First, let me say thanks, I really am glad you are enjoying them. The hardest part is trying to fi gure out what the diffi culty will be. So what I want to ask you guys is your opinions on the diffi culty and how you like it? Do you like them easier and quick to do, or harder and ones that you might have to get up from and come back to later?

That being said this column is going to be random. I mean really random.

I hope everyone is doing well, with all this tuition stuff fl ying around campus you can’t get yourself sidetracked from your studies. Believe me I know it’s easy to do.

Here’s an interesting story for you. I called coca-cola about their vending machine and its absence of Full throttles. They were super helpful and awesome about restocking it and everything. However, when the conversation was ending. They started to try to sell me products that they were starting to come out with. At this point she wouldn’t stop talking and all I wanted to do was hang up the phone and get back to work. So annoying…

Is this how bad commercialism

has gone? I can’t call a company about wanting them to put more of their product in the vending machine for me to buy without them trying to sell me more junk? Seriously?

And I’m sure this is going to anger some of you guys who read this, but I don’t really care about either of the teams for this super bowl game. I think I will end up cheering for whoever gets messed over by the referees fi rst.

Remember that Seattle super bowl game? Yeah, you know what I’m talking about. I wonder if they do stuff like that just to get more viewership? But then again, it’s the super bowl, its not like you need to get MORE viewership. I guess ref’s really can be that lame.

Speaking of that, don’t forget guys after Cougs to the Capital, we will be having another rally coming up. So if you were at the last one, drag some of your friends along with you to this one. It should be bigger and even better than the last one.

Looks like this is turning out to be a short JOS, and also very random, I hope I didn’t cause any headaches out there. Peace.

Oh I have an idea, if you guys want to ask me anything, or want me to write about something in here just e-mail me and I’ll put it in this column maybe.

The VanCougar

The duality of the purpose of the WSUV campus has left

me scratching my head. As a student, I clearly see WSUV as the place where students develop their minds, and in turn hope to make the world a better place. However, on Martin Luther King day of 2010, it is also clear that our campus took on the role of paramililtary training ground. I’m not so sure that these two concepts are easily reconciled with one another. what is much more alarming is that while the campus was closed to faculty business, with the exception of volunteers for a days of service, swat, campus police and other local law enforcement was actively training on OUR campus.

In view of the fact that we were reverently observing Dr. Kings ideals of non violence and peace, I fi nd the presence of law enforcement training at WSUV as a nose thumbing fart sent in the general direction not only of the work day volunteers , but the ideals of Dr. King also. Lt. Stephenson’s quote “ I respect their opinions, but do not share them . Dr. King is a personal hero

of mine. I believe he would have sanctioned this training because it will save lives” is good for a laugh. Minorities, and yes even college students were frequent victims of law enforcement abuses in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Examine the Kent state Massacre as one small example.

I do not even remotely agree with Lt. Stephenson. Dr. King did not condone authoritarian violence in any form, and I am quite sure the presence of heavily armed law enforcement on the campus of any university would have nauseated him. Clearly it was not his dream to have cops crawling all over America’s institutions of higher learning. As a body of students committed to peace and learning we need to be very concerned about what happened on MLK day at WSUV this year. Let us remind them that we do not care if they go shoot up some soda pop cans some place else, but our campus is not the place for their training!

- Jeff Sanders

OPINIONS AND EDITORIALS 15

2/10 Selecting a Major Workshop in VFSC 104 from noon to 1 p.m.; Free and open to current students; Contact SRC for more info

Recently, President Barack Obama delivered his fi rst State of the

Union Address. In his speech, he emphasized clean energy and economic growth as our nation’s primary goals for this year. In light of his Obama’s speech, it seems high time to renew the debate about allowing the cultivation of hemp for industrial applications. There are literally tens of thousands of uses for industrial hemp, and allowing for its legalization could not only create jobs, but pave the way for a greener and cleaner tomorrow.

The most prevalent issue regarding industrial hemp is the concern that hemp crops could be diverted to the black market for drugs. This seems like a rational concern for someone concerned about drug use, right?. After all, hemp is still cannabis is it not? Well, yes, and no.

The cultivation methods for both hemp and cannabis vary signifi cantly. Drug-grade cannabis comes from the fl owers of female cannabis plants, and female cannabis plants alone. In order to produce the potent (and thus economically viable) cannabis that most users are used to, the cultivator must not allow any male plants to pollinate their female crop. If pollination occurs, the potency of the female buds will be drastically reduced, the fl owers will bear seeds (seedy cannabis is extremely undesirable), and the risk and expense on the cultivator’s end will have been in vain, as they will have produced something that no self-respecting cannabis user would consider purchasing.

Hemp on the other hand is grown with both males and females together, not because it’s an equal opportunity thing, but because hemp is not grown to produce the psychoactive substance THC. Instead, hemp is grown as a fi ber source, much like cotton, although unlike cotton, the parts of the hemp plant that is not used for fi ber can be used for many

other purposes. However, don’t hemp plants still

produce THC even if they are not grown to produce it? Yes, they do, but not very much, in fact it isn’t much at all. Drug variety cannabis produces somewhere between 1 percent THC by dry weight on the low quality end of the spectrum, to up to 20 percent, or even up to 30 percent THC by dry weight for the highest quality cannabis. Hemp on the other hand produces much less THC, typically not more than 0.15 percent by dry weight; that is nearly six and a half times less potent than the lowest quality drug variety cannabis, and one hundred to two hundred times less potent than high quality drug-grade cannabis. That means that if one joint of very low quality cannabis were necessary to produce a desirable effect, it would require six joints of hemp fl owers to produce the same effect.

Most probably overlook another important aspect of industrial hemp production: the amount of THC that the crops produce can be regulated, and many countries that allow for its production regulate potency. In Europe, potency is typically 0.3 percent or less, however as mentioned earlier, many hemp varieties produce much less. It seems unlikely that cannabis users would be interested in cannabis with such low potency, especially when one considers the many ultra-potent drug-grade strains available today.

The question remains, why grow hemp? To start, hemp is a fantastic fi ber source that can be grown in nearly all but the most extreme climates. Hemp can be used to produce paper, cloth, and, at one point, one of the United States’ most important exports, canvas and rope, which were both commonly used on sailing vessels.

For paper production, one acre of hemp is equivalent to over four acres of trees. That’s hardly small potatoes considering the great concerns over

deforestation. What’s more is that hemp can be grown in one season, were trees take at least ten years to become v i a b l e . Additionally, hemp paper is naturally white, and thus does not need to be bleached like tree paper, and thus s w i t c h i n g to hemp paper would be more ecologically sound in many ways.

Hemp can be used for many other applications as well. For instance, the plant cellulose from hemp can be used to produce plastics, as opposed to the highly toxic and very diffi cult to break down petroleum-based plastics that are currently used. Also, hempseed oil can be used to produce biofuels, as opposed to using soybeans (which are far more economically and ecologically sound than corn). In a perfect world, soybeans would be a fi ne biodiesel source. But it is morally bankrupt to use a food source to power cars when so many people die each day from starvation.

If the cultivation of industrial hemp were legalized, the United States could produce it for biodiesel and other fuels, and subsidize soybean and corn production to export to countries which have high starvation-related mortality rates. Perhaps with a policy like this, the United States could instigate a worldwide paradigm shift, and infl uence the citizens of other nations, particularly

the downtrodden, to view our nation in a more positive light. That seems like it would be the most effective and peaceful method to prevent acts of terrorism.

On that note, the legalization of industrial hemp may soon be a non-issue, as it is now offi cial that the citizens of California will be voting on drug-grade cannabis legalization this November. In Washington, the House bills to legalize and decriminalize hemp were both voted down by the House Committee on Public Safety, however there is still a chance to get a ballot initiative on November’s ballot. In order to get cannabis legalization on the ballot, 240,000 signatures need to be collected. If you have any interest in insuring the success of this petition so that cannabis legalization will be considered on November’s ballot, check out the Cannabis Defense Collation’s website (http://cdc.coop/, no not a typo), they will be collecting signatures.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “Is love a tender thing? It is too rough, Too rude, too boist’rous; and it pricks like thorn.” “How silver-sweet sound lovers’ tongues by night, Like softest music to attending ears!” (William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet)

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20): “There is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast it is all a sham . . . “ (Anna Sewell, Black Beauty)

Aries (March 21-April 19): “How is it that the poets have said so many fi ne things about our fi rst love, so few about our later love? Are their fi rst poems their best? Or are not those the best which come from their fuller thought, their larger experience, their deeper-rooted affections?” (George Eliot, Adam Bede)

Taurus (April 20-May 20): “A silent look of affection and regard when all other eyes are turned coldly away—the consciousness that we possess the sympathy and affection of one being when all others have deserted us—is a hold, a stay, a comfort, in the deepest affl iction, which no wealth could purchase, or power bestow.” (Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers)

Gemini (May 21-June 21): “Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.” (St. Francis of Assisi)

Cancer (June 22-July 22): “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways/ I love thee to the depth and breadth and height/ My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight/ For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.” (Elizabeth Barrett Browning)

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22): “Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.” (Mother Teresa)

Virgo (August 23-Sept. 22): “Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone; it has to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new.” (Ursula K. LeGuin)

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “Some luck lies in not getting what you thought you wanted but getting what you have, which once you have got it you may be smart enough to see is what you would have wanted had you known.” (Garrison Keillor)

Scorpio (Oct. 23 – Nov. 21): “Suppose that we are wise enough to learn and know—and yet not wise enough to control our learning and knowledge, so that we use it to destroy ourselves? Even if that is so, knowledge remains better than ignorance.” (Isaac Asimov)

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself.” (Tecumseh)

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” (Martin Luther King, Jr.)

Madame L Staff Astrologist

True Joy of LifeThis is the true joy of life.The being used for a purposeRecognized by yourself as a mighty one.The being a force of natureInstead of a feverish, selfi shLittle clod of ailments and grievancesComplaining that the world will notDevote itself to making you happy.I am of the opinion that my lifeBelongs to the whole communityAnd as long as I live,It is my privilege to do for itWhatever I can.I want to be thoroughlyUsed up when I die,For the harder I work the more I live.I rejoice in life for its own sake.Life is no brief candle to me.It is a sort of splendid torchWhich I’ve got hold ofFor the momentAnd I want to make it burnAs brightly as possible beforeHandling it on to future generations.

George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)

16 CALENDAR

Salads

Other Stuff

Specialty

ChickenFavorites

Meatzas

Veggies

Medium$11.99

Large$15.99

X-large$17.99

Classic$20.99

Medium$14.99

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X-large$20.99

Classic$23.99

Medium$13.99

Large$17.99

X-large$19.99

Classic$22.99

Pasta Ala Carte$5.99

Combo Meal$8.49

Medium$18.99

Large$22.99

X-large$24.99

Classic$27.99

Medium$14.99

Large$18.99

X-large$20.99

Classic$23.99

CHEESE- A creamy blend of mozzarella, jack, provolone, romano & parmesan cheeses

PEPPERONI- Cheesy goodness with pepperoni on top

DON HO- Canadian bacon & pineapple on a sea of cheese

GREEK SALAD- Side: $2.49 / Large: $4.49Fresh cucumbers, roma tomatoes, oregano, red onion, kalamata olives & feta cheese on a bed of spinach leaves & served with lemon lime dressing

CAESAR SCHMAESAR- Side: $2.49 / Large: $4.49Fresh romaine lettuce tossed in a creamy Schmaesar dressing and finished with shredded parmesan & herbed croutons.

***ADD CHICKEN OR STEAK TO ANY SALAD FOR ONLY $2 MORE

CAJUNATOR- Alligator sausage or grilled chicken breast tossed in a light spicy cajun chipotle cream sauce & finished with parmesan cheese

FRIKIN’ CHICKEN- Grilled chicken breast strips and oven roasted broccoli tossed in a light basil pesto cream sauce & finished with parmesan cheese

GARDEN NOODLE- Sauteed fresh spinach, black olives, mushrooms, red onions & zucchini tossed in olive oil and garlic & finished with fresh roma tomatoes and parmesan cheese

SCHPAGHETTI & MEATBALL- You know it, you love it

STEAK STRIP ALFREDO- Tender mesquite beef strips & pan fried mushrooms finished with a creamy alfredo sauce & parmesan cheese

ALLIGATOR PIE- Louisiana farm raised alligator sausage with red peppers, onions, tomatoes & feta cheese on a bed of Mama Schmizza’s noodles. IT BITES!

WE DO BUSINESS DELIVERYWorking lunches...heck yea! Special occasions...sure!For all the information, call us, we’d be happy to help you!

DIPSTICKS- Six big dipsticks hand made from our very own pizza dough - oven baked fresh daily & served with your choice of : MARINARA • RANCH • ALFREDO $2.99SCHMIZZA BEER- Buy any slice & get a pint of Schmizza beer for only $1.50 ...Right On!

COCHINO CHICKEN- Pesto chicken, red onions, hickory smoked bacon & feta cheese

CREOLE- Spicy chicken, smoked mozzarella, red onions & roasted red peppers

GREEN CHICKEN PIE- Pesto chicken, fresh spinach, marinated artichoke hearts, roma tomatoes & feta cheese

ITALIANO- Spicy chicken, oven roasted polenta, roma tomatoes, feta cheese & cilantro

NO KISS TONIGHT- Garlic chicken, red onions & feta cheese atop a creamy alfredo base

SPICY THAI- Garlic chicken, roasted red peppers, crushed red peppers & cilantro on a spicy peanut sauce base

BBQ CHICKEN- Texas style marinated chicken, red onions, tomatoes & feta cheese

SWEET ‘N SOUR- Sweet ’n sour marinated chicken, roasted red peppers, pineapple & sesame seeds

YUCATECO GARLIC NOODLE- Mexican roasted chicken, sun dried tomatoes & feta cheese on a bed of Mama Schmizza’s garlic noodles

ZORBA CHICKEN- Pesto chicken, fresh spinach, red onions, black olives, roma tomatoes & feta cheese

MARGARITA- Olive oil base with garlic, basil, tomatoes, & feta cheese.

EXTREME VEGGIE- Mushrooms, roasted red & green peppers, spinach, onions, zucchini, black olives & garlic

FOO FOO- Marinated artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, garlic & feta cheese

GREEK VEGGIE- Fresh spinach, roma tomatoes, red onions, black olives, garlic & feta cheese

POPEYE & OLIVE OIL- Fresh spinach leaves on a bed of creamy alfredo sauce with roma tomatoes, garlic & feta cheese

RUSTIC PIE- Baby red potatoes, roma tomatoes, garlic, broccoli & a sprinkle of feta cheese

VEGGIE BABY- Fresh spinach, red bell peppers, onions, tomatoes & feta cheese atop a creamy alfredo base

SCH’ MEAT’ ZA- Crumbled italian sausage, german sausage, canadian bacon, genoa salami & pepperoni

OL’ HICKORY- Hickory smoked bacon, baby red potatoes, roma tomatoes & a dollop of sour cream

GENOA- Genoa salami, mushrooms, olives, pepperoni & italian sausage

STEAK & POTATO- Marinated choice steak, baby red potatoes & a splash of sour cream

SCHPAGHETTI & MEATBALL- Marinated meatballs on a bed of Mama Schmizza’s schpaghetti with a splash of marinara sauce & a sprinkle of feta cheese

COMBO CLASSICO- Mushrooms, black olives & crumbled italian sausage

TRADITIONAL- Pepperoni, green peppers, red onions & black olives

HAPPY HOUR SPECIAL! 50% Off all slices everyday from 2 - 5 PM. $1.50 Schmizza beer with any slice.

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